The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word MISGOVERN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
I
S
G
O
V
E
R
N
More clues leading to the result MISGOVERN
- Is leading Tory in Mr Johnson ultimately to fail in his duty?
- Rule badly as male sovereign, stupidly banning One Direction
- Lead astray?
- Move sign agitating about right to rule, unfairly
- Make a hash with duck in medium serving after carving
- Is cabinet minister engaged by Mr Cameron finally to rule badly?
- Male sovereigncorrupt enough to administer badly
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "fail in his duty" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fail in his duty = misgovern.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 MISGOVERN mean?
MISGOVERN verb- To govern badly or wrongly.