Cryptic crossword clue
Intimidating male taken to court over cartel 9

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

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

The straight part
We know that "Intimidating" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case intimidating = hectoring.
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 HECTORING mean?

HECTORING verb
  1. To dominate or intimidate in a blustering way; to bully, to domineer.
  2. To behave like a hector or bully; to bluster, to swagger; to bully.
HECTORING noun
  1. The act of one who hectors, or acts blusteringly.
HECTORING adjective
  1. That hectors; intimidating or domineering.

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