The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word BLASPHEME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
L
A
S
P
H
E
M
E
More clues leading to the result BLASPHEME
- Swear sheep and lamb are interchangeable
- Damn shame pleb's on the loose
- Curse, as sheep and lamb go astray
- Special chap probing responsibility for curse
- Swear sheep and lamb play together
- Swear sheep is dancing with lamb
- Use bad language, with sheep, lamb going astray
- Odds on the man framed by charge being profane
- Special ambassador to probe responsibility for curse
- Swear by lamb and sheep stew
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Swear" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case swear = blaspheme.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 BLASPHEME mean?
BLASPHEME verb- To commit blasphemy; to speak against God or religious doctrine.
- To speak of, or address, with impious irreverence; to revile impiously (anything sacred).
- To calumniate; to revile; to abuse.
- An act of irreverence or contempt toward a god or toward something considered sacred; an impious act, utterance, view, etc.
- (by extension) An act of irreverence towards anything considered inviolable; the act of disregarding a convention.