The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word TOUCH-AND-GO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
T
O
U
C
H
-
A
N
D
-
G
O
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Close/Close/brief contact/brief contact" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case close/close/brief contact/brief contact = touch-and-go.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 TOUCH-AND-GO mean?
TOUCH-AND-GO adjective- Precarious, delicate, risky, sensitive; of uncertain outcome (by analogy with a ship in shallow water).
- A landing on a runway immediately followed by a takeoff without an intervening full stop.