The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PARSONAGE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
A
R
S
O
N
A
G
E
More clues leading to the result PARSONAGE
- A sponger wandering around a house of prayer?
- Family members are getting on, embracing right where father lives
- VIP swaps penthouse finally for a ministerial residence
- Attendant admits fire-raising in priest’s residence
- Standard person that’s wise to skirt working minister’s residence?
- Minister’s home is what you’d expect with wise person holding on
- Priest’s crime taking time in a clerical residence
- Crime concealed by attendant in minister’s house
- Contact admitting crime in cleric’s residence
- Newspaper partly concealing crime in minister’s house
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a clerical residence" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a clerical residence = parsonage.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 PARSONAGE mean?
PARSONAGE noun- The residence of the minister of a parish.
- The house, lands, tithes, etc. set apart for the support of the minister of a parish.