Cryptic crossword clue
From grass, picked up worn-out damp lock? 4-4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word RATS-TAIL

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
R
A
T
S
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T
A
I
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "damp lock" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case damp lock = rats-tail.
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.

Crossword Answer definitions

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