Cryptic crossword clue
Crook, maybe, turned up to secure place in school 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word STAFFROOM

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
T
A
F
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M

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "place in school" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case place in school = staffroom.
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 STAFFROOM mean?

STAFFROOM noun
  1. A room set aside for the use of staff.

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