Cryptic crossword clue
They blow up both sides — died from grenades exploding 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
N
L
A
R
G
E
R
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "They blow up" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case they blow up = enlargers.
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 ENLARGERS mean?

ENLARGERS noun
  1. Any device that makes something bigger, or makes it appear bigger.
  2. An optical device used to make enlarged prints from a photographic negative

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