Cryptic crossword clue
Safe, impartial, composed old man 13

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word PATERFAMILIAS

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
A
T
E
R
F
A
M
I
L
I
A
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "old man" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old man = paterfamilias.
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 PATERFAMILIAS mean?

PATERFAMILIAS noun
  1. A man who is the head of a household, family or tribe.

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