Cryptic crossword clue
Get don back somehow in headcount reduction? Fanciful 4-3-4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word COCK-AND-BULL

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
O
C
K
-
A
N
D
-
B
U
L
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Fanciful" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fanciful = cock-and-bull.
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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