Cryptic crossword clue
Surrounded by ladies, rowing team steps up 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word HEIGHTENS

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

The straight part
We know that "steps up" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case steps up = heightens.
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 HEIGHTENS mean?

HEIGHTENS verb
  1. To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.
  2. To advance, increase, augment, make larger, more intense, stronger etc.

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