Cryptic crossword clue
Crowded round antique that’s turned up, protected from theft? 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "protected from theft" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case protected from theft = padlocked.
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 PADLOCKED mean?

PADLOCKED verb
  1. To lock using a padlock.

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