The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word XYLOPHONE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
X
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More clues leading to the result XYLOPHONE
- Instrument to sharpen provided after axes cut
- Hammer this, or use axes to chop and polish
- Instrument to put trim edge on axes
- Unknown person at university returned to polish instrument
- Axes cut perfect series of wooden bars
- Oxyphenol derivative that is used by wood tappers
- Axes cut more than 50 per cent of upright instrument
- Cross yard to cut and polish 7’s implement
- Axes cut and perfect this instrument
- A pair of unknowns cut and sharpen piece of ‘1ac’ 9
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Instrument" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case instrument = xylophone.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 XYLOPHONE mean?
XYLOPHONE noun- Any musical instrument (percussion idiophone) made of wooden slats graduated so as to make the sounds of the scale when struck with a small drumstick-like mallet; the standard Western concert xylophone or one of its derivatives.
- To play a xylophone or to play something else as though it was a xylophone.
- To move above a ridged surface so as to hit every ridge, in a manner similar to playing quickly and sequentially on a xylophone.