The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 7 letter word UP AGAINST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
U
P
A
G
A
I
N
S
T
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Dealing with" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case dealing with = up against.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.