The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SACKCLOTH
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
S
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More clues leading to the result SACKCLOTH
- Dismiss group in church presenting coarse material
- Drop brainless type at end of match that may precede Ashes
- Fire material associated with ashes
- Wine, dope and heroin? There’s coarse material in there!
- Give thickhead the boot, ultimately with a show of remorse?
- Bed Alec, ultimately reluctant, showing evidence of remorse?
- Get rid of idiot, loth ultimately to show sign of penance
- Penitent habit of clergy after dismissal
- Notice given before idiot husband makes coarse material
- Dismiss ministers, a sign of contrition
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "sign of penance" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sign of penance = sackcloth.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 SACKCLOTH mean?
SACKCLOTH noun- A coarse hessian style of cloth used to make sacks.
- (Usually paired with 'ashes'), garments worn as an act of penance. Now often used figuratively.