The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word ARSONISTS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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More clues leading to the result ARSONISTS
- Criminals needing skills to employ lad wise at heart
- Clergyman abandons worship finally and sits uncomfortably with criminals
- Criminals first to feed penniless priests
- Tricks boy’s acquired — they’re inflammatory!
- Child is involved in trickery for criminals
- They burn croissants, scraping off carbon vigorously
- Those deserving a lighter sentence?
- Boy is overwhelmed by music, drama, sculpture and firelighters
- Boy is captivated by Arthur’s dangerous lighters
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Those deserving a lighter sentence" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case those deserving a lighter sentence = arsonists.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 ARSONISTS mean?
ARSONISTS noun- One who has committed the act of arson, or illegally setting fire to property.