Crossword Genius

Agent with servant brought in free carpet (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

reprimand

'carpet' is the definition.
(I know that carpet can be written as reprimand)

'agent with servant brought in free' is the wordplay.
'agent' becomes 'rep' (short for representative).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'servant' becomes 'man' (man is a kind of servant).
'brought in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'free' becomes 'rid' (to be free of something is to be rid of it).
'man' inserted within 'rid' is 'rimand'.
'rep'+'rimand'='REPRIMAND'

(Other definitions for reprimand that I've seen before include "telling off" , "Severe reproof" , "Formal censure" , "Tick off - carpet" , "Official scolding" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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