The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word ESCARPMENT
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
E
S
C
A
R
P
M
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result ESCARPMENT
- Ten campers go over cliff
- Steep slope recent maps disguised
- Bad temper can lead to slippery slope
- Respect man exploding bluff
- Face panic in hospital department that’s besieged in the afternoon
- Fish taken by chaps in fishy set — it shows a steep decline?
- Geographical feature shown in recent maps after review
- Cliff? Treat man with respect
- A couple of travelling spacemen crashing as a result of a fault?
- Watch part about king surrendering eastern slope
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "cliff" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cliff = escarpment.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 ESCARPMENT mean?
ESCARPMENT noun- A steep descent or declivity; steep face or edge of a ridge; ground about a fortified place, cut away nearly vertically to prevent hostile approach.