The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SKIN-DEEP
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
K
I
N
-
D
E
E
P
More clues leading to the result SKIN-DEEP
- Superficial sort implicated in leak
- Superficial type replaces wife during lottery
- . Superficial type stops clock with tip of pen
- Superficial and benign cuts bleed
- Sort inside leak that’s superficial
- Superficial sort introduced to escort by Penny
- Style in returned letters is shallow
- Weep about class being superficial
- Church quiet about being compassionate — like beauty, perhaps
- Superficial type begins eroding in one month
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "shallow" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case shallow = skin-deep.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 SKIN-DEEP mean?
SKIN-DEEP adjective- Shallow, superficial.