Cryptic crossword clue
Encouraging holding copies back — that’s mean 12

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word CHEESEPARING

I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
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Buddy explains!

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

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