Cryptic crossword clue
Cruelty always preceding sex, in skivvy’s case 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SEVERITY

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
E
V
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Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Cruelty" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cruelty = severity.
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 SEVERITY mean?

SEVERITY noun
  1. The state of being severe.
  2. The degree of something undesirable; badness or seriousness.

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