Cryptic crossword clue
In dark, wounded badly, duck remains flattened 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ROADKILL

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

The straight part
We know that "remains flattened" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case remains flattened = roadkill.
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 ROADKILL mean?

ROADKILL noun
  1. The killing of an animal by a road vehicle
  2. The animal(s) so killed
  3. (by extension) a helpless victim

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