Cryptic crossword clue
Like soldiers protecting West, suddenly changing course 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SWERVING

I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
S
W
E
R
V
I
N
G

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "suddenly changing course" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case suddenly changing course = swerving.
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 SWERVING mean?

SWERVING verb
  1. To stray; to wander; to rove.
  2. To go out of a straight line; to deflect.
  3. To wander from any line prescribed, or from a rule or duty; to depart from what is established by law, duty, custom, or the like; to deviate.
  4. To bend; to incline.
  5. To climb or move upward by winding or turning.
  6. To turn aside or deviate to avoid impact.
  7. Of a projectile, to travel in a curved line
  8. To drive in the trajectory of another vehicle to stop it, to cut off.
SWERVING noun
  1. An unpredictable change of direction.
SWERVING adjective
  1. (humourous) Variable, unsteady.

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