Cryptic crossword clue
Area beside poky yard is in a bad way 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word ABYSMALLY

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
B
Y
S
M
A
L
L
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "in a bad way" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in a bad way = abysmally.
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 ABYSMALLY mean?

ABYSMALLY adverb
  1. Very; incredibly; profoundly; to an extreme degree; dreadfully.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations