The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word UNPOPULAR
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
U
N
P
O
P
U
L
A
R
More clues leading to the result UNPOPULAR
- Ring up pal involved in stupid run-out
- Rejected wordplay quietly sent back by Paul or edited
- Happy about entering Arctic perhaps after peacekeeping force gets out
- A bit like Corbyn, Ron Paul up for revolution
- Not in a Parisian university in wood
- A French university in London area which is not favoured
- Disliked hollow uneven tree outside university
- Dreadful pun our pal hated
- Shunned, set upon, star gives up sex
- A French tree seen around uni lacking admirers?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "is not favoured" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case is not favoured = unpopular.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 UNPOPULAR mean?
UNPOPULAR adjective- Lacking popularity
- Not liked or popular; disliked or ignored by the public.