The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PUNISHED
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
U
N
I
S
H
E
D
More clues leading to the result PUNISHED
- Disciplined impression at first, cast off after joke
- Sanctioned, having peddled drugs round province
- Penalised by being pushed around in the wrong way
- Beat criminal up in Slough
- Joke I poured forth heckled by the audience?
- Pressed about part of UK being penalised
- Taught a lesson in quiet university building
- Penalized and shunted around Northern Ireland
- Sanctioned joke I dropped
- Under pressure with National Insurance contribution, made to pay
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sanctioned" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sanctioned = punished.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 PUNISHED mean?
PUNISHED verb- To cause to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action.
- To treat harshly and unfairly.
- To handle or beat severely; to maul.
- To consume a large quantity of.
- That has been the object of punishment.