Cryptic crossword clue
Defenders protecting part of town in retreat? 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
A
C
K
W
A
R
D
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "in retreat?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in retreat? = backwards.
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 BACKWARDS mean?

BACKWARDS adjective
  1. Oriented toward the back.
  2. Reversed.
  3. Behind current trends or technology.
  4. Clumsy, inept, or inefficient, especially in learning.
BACKWARDS adverb
  1. Toward the back.
  2. In the opposite direction to usual.
  3. In a manner such that the back precedes the front.
  4. Towards the past; ago

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