Cryptic crossword clue
Rule badly as male sovereign, stupidly banning One Direction 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word MISGOVERN

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Rule badly/Rule badly" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rule badly/rule badly = misgovern.
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 MISGOVERN mean?

MISGOVERN verb
  1. To govern badly or wrongly.

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