The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word VICARIOUS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
V
I
C
A
R
I
O
U
S
More clues leading to the result VICARIOUS
- Second-hand German missile decayed
- Replacing another very young airman who crashed orbiting moon
- Assorted clothing I start to collect, second-hand
- Surrogate father’s admitting obligation
- Clergyman promises to be acting for another
- Rector is touring old university, replacing another
- Member of clergy facing debts associated with someone else
- Cruel to involve rising artist’s surrogate
- Showing spite about a king not personally experienced
- Spiteful, throttling one King instead of another
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "to be acting for another" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case to be acting for another = vicarious.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 VICARIOUS mean?
VICARIOUS adjective- Delegated.
- Experienced or gained by taking in another person’s experience, rather than through first-hand experience, such as through watching or reading.
- On behalf of others.