Cryptic crossword clue
Swimmer’s incompetent first of four splits 9

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

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

The straight part
We know that "Swimmer/it" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case swimmer/it = clownfish.
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 CLOWNFISH mean?

CLOWNFISH noun
  1. Any of colorful fish of the genera Amphiprion and Premnas in the subfamily Amphiprioninae, native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, notable for their mutual relationship with sea anemones.

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