The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word OFFENSIVE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
O
F
F
E
N
S
I
V
E
More clues leading to the result OFFENSIVE
- Unpleasant part of campaign
- With respect to area around Norfolk, Everyman has to be obnoxious
- Move against enemy is causing resentment
- Nasty murder – thinking “beheaded”
- Unpleasant attack
- Insulting attack
- Rank attacking action
- Concerning East Anglian feature, this writer has to be rude
- Sally's rank
- Attack is bad
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Rank/attacking action" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rank/attacking action = offensive.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 OFFENSIVE mean?
OFFENSIVE noun- An attack.
- The posture of attacking or being able to attack.
- Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred.
- Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
- Having to do with play directed at scoring.