What does the cryptic crossword clue "Contest law and punishment in longish piece of text (7,8)" mean?

The definition is "longish piece of text". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). COMP (synonym="competition, "Contest"") + LEX (synonym="law") + SENTENCE (synonym="punishment") = COMPLEXSENTENCE; definition: "longish piece of text" The answer is COMPLEXSENTENCE.

Contest law and punishment in longish piece of text (7,8)

Guardian Cryptic #28978 | 1 Down | 2023-01-27 flower

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