The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word CONCEALED
C
O
N
C
E
A
L
E
D
Buddy explains!

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.
Crossword Answer definitions
CONCEALED verb- To hide something from view or from public knowledge, to try to keep something secret.