The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word MAGISTRATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
A
G
I
S
T
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A
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E
More clues leading to the result MAGISTRATE
- Public officer’s glowing comment on periodical?
- Court official‘s relative meaning to meet judge
- Wise folk given case of suspect to judge? Just one of them
- Wise men, holy person and judge – together such may administer law
- Game artist out to get justice
- Judge publication first by value
- Scholar has sense to respect officer of the law
- Law officer right to be included among ‘wise men’, say
- Wise men consider crossing street seeing one on bench
- One on the bench taking millions is a target for abuse
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One on the bench" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one on the bench = magistrate.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 MAGISTRATE mean?
MAGISTRATE noun- A judicial officer with limited authority to administer and enforce the law. A magistrate's court may have jurisdiction in civil or criminal cases, or both.
- A high official of the state or a municipality in ancient Greece or Rome.
- (by extension) A comparable official in medieval or modern institutions.
- A master's degree.