The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word APPREHEND
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
P
P
R
E
H
E
N
D
More clues leading to the result APPREHEND
- Arrest happened originally outside front of restaurant
- Understand program, run with what purpose?
- Get program to stop after girl's taken aback
- Grasp collar
- Understand the girl’s turning in, hang on
- Tack on, holding woman back from arrest
- Fear capture
- Arrest left-leaning lawyer over pages concerning women only
- APPREHEND
- The woman’s back in fix for bust
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Grasp/collar" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case grasp/collar = apprehend.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 APPREHEND mean?
APPREHEND verb- To take or seize; to take hold of.
- To take hold of with the understanding, that is, to conceive in the mind; to become cognizant of; to understand; to recognize; to consider.
- To anticipate; especially, to anticipate with anxiety, dread, or fear; to fear.
- To think, believe, or be of opinion; to understand; to suppose.
- To be apprehensive; to fear.