The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 8 letter word CASE HARDENED
C
A
S
E
H
A
R
D
E
N
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D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Strengthened" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case strengthened = case hardened.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 CASE HARDENED mean?
CASE HARDENED adjective- Metal that is harder at its surface, due to a case hardening process.