The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word MASOCHISM
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
A
S
O
C
H
I
S
M
More clues leading to the result MASOCHISM
- . 2000 guards like going round Black Sea spa seeking morbid type of pleasure
- Desire to get hurt in this way suppressed by male pride briefly
- Taking pains to enjoy oneself
- Mother love in separation producing pleasure from pain
- Pleasure having bent for punishment
- Macho miss redefined form of sexual pleasure
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Taking pains to enjoy oneself" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case taking pains to enjoy oneself = masochism.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 MASOCHISM mean?
MASOCHISM noun- The enjoyment of receiving pain or humiliation.