The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SURPRISED
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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More clues leading to the result SURPRISED
- Discovered suddenly day after purser is battered
- Resistance force in south of France is caught unawares
- Startled Prince is throttled by certain Duke
- Gentleman rated highly said to be astonished
- Caught unawares, Spurs dire, out of form
- Stunned senior forced to take on United
- ‘Shocked‘ almost certainly peeped hiding Sun
- Editor chasing almost certain voting system is shocked
- Caught unawares retiring gent is surrounded by posturing prudes
- It’s almost certain weaving spider gets blown away
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "caught unawares" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case caught unawares = surprised.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 SURPRISED mean?
SURPRISED verb- To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected.
- To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise.
- To undergo or witness something unexpected.
- To cause surprise.
- To attack unexpectedly.
- To take unawares.
- Caused to feel surprise, amazement or wonder, or showing an emotion due to an unexpected event.