Cryptic crossword clue
Insect that infests crossing bitumen? It slows things down 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
R
E
T
A
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D
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "It slows things down" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case it slows things down = retardant.
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 RETARDANT mean?

RETARDANT noun
  1. (often in combination) Something that serves to retard (slow down) the action of something
RETARDANT adjective
  1. (often in combination) Serving to retard (slow down) the action of something

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