Cryptic crossword clue
Daughter Heather, holding breath, getting weaker 9

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

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
D
W
I
N
D
L
I
N
G

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "getting weaker" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case getting weaker = dwindling.
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 DWINDLING mean?

DWINDLING verb
  1. To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.
  2. To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.
  3. To lessen; to bring low.
  4. To break up or disperse.
DWINDLING noun
  1. A gradual reduction to nothing.
DWINDLING adjective
  1. Declining; growing less

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