Cryptic crossword clue
Cape force detectives can be smart 18s 6,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 5 letter word CLEVER DICKS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
L
E
V
E
R
D
I
C
K
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "smart 18s" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case smart 18s = clever dicks.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

Crossword Answer definitions

Latest crossword clues with full explanations