The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word LONG SHOT
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
O
N
G
S
H
O
T
More clues leading to the result LONG SHOT
- Lanky drunk crossing hotel? That’s unlikely
- Guess it's taken by one driving off
- Has desire, torrid – its chances are remote
- Outsider is dying, feverish
- Attempt at goal from half-way line? It has little chance of success
- Remote chance for a sniper?
- It might get a six? It’s very unlikely
- Outsider pants, feeling effects of exertion
- Punt that’s taken by a photographer
- It’s not a close-up, you can bet on it
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Attempt at goal from half-way line/Attempt at goal from half-way line/It has little chance of success/It has little chance of success" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case attempt at goal from half-way line/attempt at goal from half-way line/it has little chance of success/it has little chance of success = long shot.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.