The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word REFEREE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
R
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F
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R
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More clues leading to the result REFEREE
- Official character witness
- Official taken in by centre forward, in short
- Official retainer hugs Queen after she becomes upset
- Official about to block charge led by soldiers
- Person offering testimonial for match official
- Note before and during charge for judge
- He should be fair, but he doesn’t play the game
- Female embraced by bird – and another. That’s official!
- Judge on release accepting justice, finally
- Judge who should determine penalty
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Official/character witness" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case official/character witness = referee.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 REFEREE mean?
REFEREE noun- An umpire or judge; an official who makes sure the rules are followed during a game.
- A person who settles a dispute.
- A person who writes a letter of reference or provides a reference by phone call for someone.
- An expert who judges the manuscript of an article or book to decide if it should be published.
- To act as a referee.