Cryptic crossword clue
Miles of Longfellow came in first and is heroic

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Miles of Longfellow" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case miles of longfellow = standish.
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 STANDISH mean?

STANDISH noun
  1. A stand to hold ink, pens, and other writing accessories; an inkstand.

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