The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 14 letter word DISCOUNTENANCE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
D
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S
C
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T
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A
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More clues leading to the result DISCOUNTENANCE
- Frown on policeman's face
- Unfortunate innocent caused shame
- Look unfavourably on refund with remorse after penny has dropped
- Discourage allowance over punishment? Not initially
- Continues being naughty in rumba, maybe, creating upset
- Incandescent with rage? That hides most of our shame
- . Take exception to allowance given to church discipline with priest absent
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Discourage" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case discourage = discountenance.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 DISCOUNTENANCE mean?
DISCOUNTENANCE noun- Cold treatment; disapprobation.
- To have an unfavorable opinion of; to deprecate or disapprove of.
- To abash, embarrass or disconcert.
- To refuse countenance or support to; to discourage.