Cryptic crossword clue
Head of state, bent into shape, pursued austerity 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SCRIMPED

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

The straight part
We know that "pursued austerity" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pursued austerity = scrimped.
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 SCRIMPED mean?

SCRIMPED verb
  1. To make too small or short.
  2. To limit or straiten; to put on short allowance.
  3. To be frugal.
SCRIMPED adjective
  1. Pinched

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