The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word TRIANGULATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
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More clues leading to the result TRIANGULATE
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "How one may work out position" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case how one may work out position = triangulate.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 TRIANGULATE mean?
TRIANGULATE verb- To locate by means of triangulation
- To pit two others against each other in order to achieve a desired outcome or to gain an advantage; to "play both ends against the middle"
- Triangular