The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 4 letter word IN LIEU
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
I
N
L
I
E
U
More clues leading to the result IN LIEU
- At the gent’s, we’re told, instead
- Fashionable fiction over university instead
- Substitute powdering her nose, by the sound of it?
- 2 and 4 expressed as a 12
- Instead of popular piece of fiction, first from Updike
- University to follow current fabrication instead
- Alternatively, the islands around Holland can get attached to the European Union
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "12" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case 12 = in lieu.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.