Cryptic crossword clue
It prevents rust in gold finish to exotic metal in heavy tap 9

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

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

The straight part
We know that "It prevents rust" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case it prevents rust = inhibitor.
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 INHIBITOR mean?

INHIBITOR noun
  1. One who or that which inhibits.
  2. Any substance capable of stopping or slowing a specific chemical reaction.
  3. Any substance capable of stopping or slowing a specific biological process

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