Cryptic crossword clue
Exceptional quality it had soon deteriorating 9

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

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

The straight part
We know that "Exceptional quality" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case exceptional quality = sainthood.
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 SAINTHOOD mean?

SAINTHOOD noun
  1. The state of being a saint
  2. Saints collectively

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