Cryptic crossword clue
Secretary detaining official and politician as an opener 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
R
E
F
A
T
O
R
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "opener" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case opener = prefatory.
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 PREFATORY mean?

PREFATORY adjective
  1. Introductory, preliminary, serving as a prelude or preface.

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