Cryptic crossword clue
Usually act in the manner that’s appropriate for one of the top brass 2,1,7,4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 1 plus 7 plus 4 letter word AS A GENERAL RULE

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

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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.

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