Cryptic crossword clue
Ladies keep a tally of letters, we hear 10

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word COUNTESSES

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
O
U
N
T
E
S
S
E
S

More clues leading to the result COUNTESSES

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Ladies" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ladies = countesses.
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 COUNTESSES mean?

COUNTESSES noun
  1. The wife of a count or earl.
  2. A woman holding the rank of count or earl in her own right; a female holder of an earldom.

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