The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word TAROT CARD
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
A
R
O
T
C
A
R
D
More clues leading to the result TAROT CARD
- One supposedly forecasts carrot to develop during Whit?
- The Pope, say, volunteers to corrupt God
- Justice, perhaps, as actor injured with dart
- Player returns with Romeo in small part for Empress?
- Telecast’s opening with a rubbish and eccentric fortune-teller?
- Carrot cooked a little on the outside…or so it reads
- Caustic about love? Humorist gets indication of fate
- Socialist embraces a strange character — The Devil, perhaps
- Justice, perhaps, lawgiver and scoundrel served up to save time
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "The Devil, perhaps" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case the devil, perhaps = tarot card.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.