Cryptic crossword clue
Old axes then again taken into battle, ridiculous things 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word OXYMORONS

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

The straight part
We know that "ridiculous things" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ridiculous things = oxymorons.
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 OXYMORONS mean?

OXYMORONS noun
  1. A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
  2. (sometimes proscribed) A contradiction in terms.

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