The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word CHARLATAN
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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More clues leading to the result CHARLATAN
- Phoney’s daily beat circling US city
- Cleaner brought over the French bronze – a fake
- Fictional detective coming across pieces of art implicating the French in fraud
- Daily Mail finally advanced on Brown, the bastard!
- Domestic birth repelled quack
- Phoney map outlines the French-Algerian borders
- Impostor to clean computer network receiving thanks
- Girl declared an impostor
- Girl receiving help at the outset to beat fraud
- Fake US city immersed in daily sun
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Impostor" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case impostor = charlatan.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 CHARLATAN mean?
CHARLATAN noun- A mountebank, someone who addresses crowds in the street; (especially), an itinerant seller of medicines or drugs.
- A malicious trickster; a fake person, especially one who deceives for personal profit.