The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word MODIFYING
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
O
D
I
F
Y
I
N
G
Buddy explains!
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.
What does MODIFYING mean?
MODIFYING verb- To change part of.
- To be or become modified.
- To set bounds to; to moderate.
- (grammar) To qualify the meaning of.