Cryptic crossword clue
Writing to abridge? Editor tried 10

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word PROSECUTED

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "tried/b/i" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case tried/b/i = prosecuted.
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.

Crossword Answer definitions

PROSECUTED verb
  1. To start criminal proceedings against.
  2. To charge, try.
  3. To seek to obtain by legal process.
  4. To pursue something to the end.

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