Cryptic crossword clue
Shrinking away from girl I once fancied 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Shrinking away from" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case shrinking away from = recoiling.
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 RECOILING mean?

RECOILING verb
  1. To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment.
  2. To retreat before an opponent.
  3. To retire, withdraw.
  4. (of a firearm) To quickly push back when fired
RECOILING noun
  1. The act of something that recoils.

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