Cryptic crossword clue
I’d sent off essay, painful work? 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "painful work?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case painful work? = dentistry.
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 DENTISTRY mean?

DENTISTRY noun
  1. The field of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the teeth and oral cavity.
  2. Operations performed on teeth and adjoining areas such as drilling, filling cavities and placing crowns and bridges.
  3. A dental surgery, an operation on the teeth.
  4. A place where dental operations are performed. (Not as common as "dentist's office". Compare surgery.)

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