Cryptic crossword clue
There’s life in this bishop knocked out before

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
B
I
O
S
P
H
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R
E

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "There’s life in this" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case there’s life in this = biosphere.
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 BIOSPHERE mean?

BIOSPHERE noun
  1. The part of the Earth and its atmosphere capable of supporting life.
  2. The totality of living organisms and their environment.

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