The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word NEMATODES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
N
E
M
A
T
O
D
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S
More clues leading to the result NEMATODES
- Worms army chaps pulled up — poetic things
- Cooked meat’s done for worms
- Made notes about worms
- Meat that’s cooked inside doesn’t mostly spread worms!
- Funny name, sounds like creep’s crawlers
- Pet returned in end, so treated for worms?
- Possibly worms pet coming up in lumps
- Some, at end, must be fodder for worms
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "worms" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case worms = nematodes.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 NEMATODES mean?
NEMATODES noun- A worm of the large phylum Nematoda, such as a roundworm or threadworm.