The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word CANNIBALS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
A
N
N
I
B
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L
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More clues leading to the result CANNIBALS
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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.
What does CANNIBALS mean?
CANNIBALS noun- An organism which eats others of its own species or kind, especially a human who eats human flesh.