Cryptic crossword clue
Portrayed someone academic and terribly idle 8

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
R
O
F
I
L
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Portrayed" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case portrayed = profiled.
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 PROFILED mean?

PROFILED verb
  1. To create a summary or collection of information about (a person, etc.).
  2. To act based on such a summary, especially one that is a stereotype; to engage in profiling.
  3. To draw in profile or outline.
  4. To give a definite form by chiselling, milling, etc.
  5. To measure the performance of various parts of (a program) so as to locate bottlenecks.

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