The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word ARTHRITIS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
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T
H
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More clues leading to the result ARTHRITIS
- Complaint about Iris Murdoch’s last tart
- Painful condition of untidy British trains, if bins removed
- Possible confirmation of leader for Camelot, not united in joint complaint
- Purge all extreme characters from party — the British complaint
- The object is to support king dismissing united or joint complaint
- ‘Painting Hour’ — it’s an inflammatory experience
- Complaint from unionist bypassing Scargill? Definitely
- Joint problem? It is provided by conjunction of skill and human resources
- Painful affliction IRA t-shirt bizarrely illustrated
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Complaint" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case complaint = arthritis.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 ARTHRITIS mean?
ARTHRITIS noun- Inflammation of a joint or joints causing pain and/or disability, swelling and stiffness, and due to various causes such as infection, trauma, degenerative changes or metabolic disorders.