The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word IMPERSONATOR
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
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More clues leading to the result IMPERSONATOR
- Commander cages young male ape
- Pretender’s scion imprisoned by Roman emperor
- One taking someone off in spare motor, breaking down
- Impressionist painter’s room in a mess
- Copycat killer finally arrested by men as Poirot ordered
- In trouble, poor man tries to become fraudster with new identity
- Imposter or an awful mimic
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Impressionist" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case impressionist = impersonator.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 IMPERSONATOR mean?
IMPERSONATOR noun- One who fraudulently impersonates another person.
- An entertainer whose act is based upon performing impressions of others.