Cryptic crossword clue
Horrible battle with roustabout 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
O
N
S
T
R
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More clues leading to the result MONSTROUS

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Horrible" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case horrible = monstrous.
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 MONSTROUS mean?

MONSTROUS adjective
  1. Hideous or frightful.
  2. Enormously large.
  3. Freakish or grotesque.
  4. Of, or relating to a mythical monster; full of monsters.
  5. Marvellous; strange.

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