The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word IN-PATIENT
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "resident of hospital" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case resident of hospital = in-patient.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 IN-PATIENT mean?
IN-PATIENT noun- A patient whose treatment needs at least one night's residence in a hospital; a hospitalized patient.