The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word FALSEHOOD
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
F
A
L
S
E
H
O
O
D
More clues leading to the result FALSEHOOD
- Deception of one pretending to be criminal?
- Lie in a university hospital, digging into nosh
- Note adapted hose, old invention
- Treacherous outlaw in fiction
- Fictional account of river area around Kent
- Does half of half-cooked pork pie …
- Lie has fooled doctor
- Lie from policeman working undercover, possibly?
- Lie in shade with fool getting tipsy
- Clumsy fools head toward prevarication
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Deception" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case deception = falsehood.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 FALSEHOOD mean?
FALSEHOOD noun- The property of being false.
- A false statement, especially an intentional one; a lie.
- Mendacity, deceitfulness; the trait of a person who is mendacious and deceitful.