Cryptic crossword clue
Recent sex: cold, messy and unnecessary 10

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word EXCRESCENT

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
X
C
R
E
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C
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T

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "unnecessary" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case unnecessary = excrescent.
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 EXCRESCENT mean?

EXCRESCENT noun
  1. Something growing, usually abnormally, out of something else.
  2. A sound in a word without etymological reason.
EXCRESCENT adjective
  1. Growing out in an abnormal or morbid manner or as a superfluity.

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