Cryptic crossword clue
Can an adept, shy engineer be so very shoddy? 5,3,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 plus 5 letter word CHEAP AND NASTY

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
H
E
A
P
A
N
D
N
A
S
T
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "very shoddy" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case very shoddy = cheap and nasty.
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.

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