Cryptic crossword clue
Second-class English deserving such telling off? 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BERATING

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
E
R
A
T
I
N
G

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "telling off" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case telling off = berating.
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 BERATING mean?

BERATING verb
  1. To chide or scold vehemently
BERATING noun
  1. A scolding.

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