Cryptic crossword clue
Getting hold of top mathematician 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Getting hold of" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case getting hold of = capturing.
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 CAPTURING mean?

CAPTURING verb
  1. To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem.
  2. To store (as in sounds or image) for later revisitation.
  3. To reproduce convincingly.
  4. To remove or take control of an opponent’s piece in a game (e.g., chess, go, checkers).

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