The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word DEATHTRAP
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
D
E
A
T
H
T
R
A
P
More clues leading to the result DEATHTRAP
- Finish role climbing dangerous building?
- Net curtains must be foremost source of risk
- Hated rolling next to bunker – this is a hazard
- Passing on by mouth something which is very dangerous
- Hot temperature in faulty adapter? One could be lethal
- Dangerous vehicle‘s passing horse-drawn carriage
- . That padre is straying! It is a dangerous situation ...
- Maniacal PhD ate rat in a perilous situation
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One could be lethal" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one could be lethal = deathtrap.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 DEATHTRAP mean?
DEATHTRAP noun- An extremely dangerous location, structure or device
- A plot device where a villain in a story puts a hero in an elaborate dangerous situation for the purposes of attempting a sadistic murder