The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word ELLIPSOIDS
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The straight part
We know that "figures" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case figures = ellipsoids.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 ELLIPSOIDS mean?
ELLIPSOIDS noun- A surface, all of whose cross sections are elliptic or circular (including the sphere), that generalises the ellipse and in Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z) is a quadric with equation x2/a2 + y2/b2 + z2/c2 = 0.
- Such a surface used as a model of the shape of the earth.