Cryptic crossword clue
Growth-restricted marsupial gets tense before jump 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
R
O
O
T
B
O
U
N
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Growth-restricted" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case growth-restricted = rootbound.
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 ROOTBOUND mean?

ROOTBOUND adjective
  1. (of a pot plant) Having outgrown its pot, so that the roots are cramped and tangled.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations