The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 2 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 letter word TAKE IT ON THE CHIN
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
A
K
E
I
T
O
N
T
H
E
C
H
I
N
More clues leading to the result TAKE IT ON THE CHIN
- Be courageous in facing razor blade?
- Gather where beaver’s seen and weather the storm
- Be brave, like an unfortunate boxer?
- Face up to defeat when punch gets through?
- ‘No hit’, twice: Kent ace resolved to accept defeat
- Suffer defeat stoically, as most boxers do?
- Make hot tea in kitchen — endure punishment
- Spilled hot tea in kitchen? Grin and bear it
- 'No hit', twice: Kent ace resolved to accept defeat
- Accept that’s what to do with beard-grooming product?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Face up to defeat" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case face up to defeat = take it on the chin.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.