The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 5 letter word MOOT POINT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
O
O
T
P
O
I
N
T
More clues leading to the result MOOT POINT
- Low temperature needed by popular filling casserole is a contentious issue
- Fresh motion, top thing to get debated
- Low temperature below which vessel gets cool causing controversy
- Top motion maybe, but it needs to be debated
- PMO, in toto, is in disarray? That is debatable!
- Option Tom exercised is disputed subject
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a contentious issue" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a contentious issue = moot point.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.