The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word HEE-HAWED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
E
E
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H
A
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D
More clues leading to the result HEE-HAWED
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "behaved like an ass" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case behaved like an ass = hee-hawed.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 HEE-HAWED mean?
HEE-HAWED verb- To utter the cry of an ass or donkey.