The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SHOVELLER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
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More clues leading to the result SHOVELLER
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Duck/person doing spadework" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case duck/person doing spadework = shoveller.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 SHOVELLER mean?
SHOVELLER noun- One who, or that which, shovels.
- Any of four species of dabbling duck, in the genus Anas, with distinctive spatulate bills.