Cryptic crossword clue
Gasp at a diver becoming Italian comedy character 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
A
N
T
A
L
O
O
N

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Italian comedy character" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case italian comedy character = pantaloon.
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 PANTALOON mean?

PANTALOON noun
  1. An aging buffoon.
  2. Trousers reminiscent of the tight-fitting leggings traditionally worn by a pantaloon.
  3. A kind of fabric.

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