The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word MERCENARY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
E
R
C
E
N
A
R
Y
More clues leading to the result MERCENARY
- My career involved penning name for hired gun
- Hired soldier showing forbearance about near-disaster?
- Drunk consuming dinner in Spain is greedy
- Soldier’s compassion overcoming near disaster
- One happy to include lots of US money with advance?
- Money-grabbing drunk clutching broken cane
- Quivering cane held by gay person doing it for the money
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Soldier" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case soldier = mercenary.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 MERCENARY mean?
MERCENARY noun- One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
- A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose primary motivation is private gain.
- One hired to engage in a figurative battle, as a corporate takeover, a lawsuit, or a political campaign.
- Motivated by private gain.