The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word PUNISHMENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
U
N
I
S
H
M
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result PUNISHMENT
- Joke this bad keeps chaps hiding?
- Beating wordplay is hard element to some extent
- Chaps in his punt adrift, needing correction
- Like a play on words intended to be voiced as retribution?
- What could be provided by nine thumps? Six, classically!
- Penalty kick, taking one’s hard on team
- Penalty hit spun men around
- Penalty kick is hard, guys admitted
- Wordplay is hard: came across name hidden in sentence
- MIT hens pun wildly and get retribution
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sanction" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sanction = punishment.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 PUNISHMENT mean?
PUNISHMENT noun- The act or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction.
- A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
- A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution
- Any treatment or experience so harsh it feels like being punished; rough handling