The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word CHICANERY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
H
I
C
A
N
E
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Y
More clues leading to the result CHICANERY
- Weep about husband I am able to engage initially in deceit
- Smart one from Peebles tracks fraud
- Greek character getting stick on railway for sharp practice
- Accountant, probing niche eccentric, tracks deception
- Dodging and dashing a north-easterly line
- Funny stuff derived from coffee
- Turns to really extreme deception
- Yearn for change after smart deception
- Deception is in – even beer comes in any container
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "deception" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case deception = chicanery.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 CHICANERY mean?
CHICANERY noun- Deception by use of trickery, quibbling, or subterfuge.
- A slick performance by a lawyer.