Cryptic crossword clue
Spoke disparagingly — steered clear of including corrupt admin 12

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word ANIMADVERTED

I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Spoke disparagingly" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case spoke disparagingly = animadverted.
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 ANIMADVERTED mean?

ANIMADVERTED verb
  1. To criticise, to censure.
  2. To consider.
  3. To turn judicial attention (to); to criticise or punish.

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