The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word READ-ONLY
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
R
E
A
D
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O
N
L
Y
More clues leading to the result READ-ONLY
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 READ-ONLY mean?
READ-ONLY adjective- Unalterable, capable of being read but not written.