The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DISTRICT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
D
I
S
T
R
I
C
T
More clues leading to the result DISTRICT
- Area served by detective of severe character
- Locality I’d recalled, harsh
- Neighbourhood detective’s scrupulous
- Harry mother by forbidding division
- I had gone over harsh territory
- Area DI observing rules very closely
- Detective tightly controlling precinct
- Quarter of coppers cheated, we hear
- Starts to dig in hard patch
- Top detective getting tough on precinct
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "precinct" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case precinct = district.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 DISTRICT mean?
DISTRICT noun- An administrative division of an area.
- An area or region marked by some distinguishing feature.
- An administrative division of a county without the status of a borough.
- To divide into administrative or other districts.
- Rigorous; stringent; harsh