The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word DISREPAIR
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
D
I
S
R
E
P
A
I
R
More clues leading to the result DISREPAIR
- Go with detectives, finding ruin
- Decay beginning to show in hideous couple
- Sid’s turned on by boobs? It’ll lead to ruin
- Show contempt for agent with manner conveying shabbiness
- Padre is troubled by Ireland’s sorry state of affairs
- Rapid rise produces state of collapse
- Terribly rapid rise leading to ruin
- Awful couple hiding son in poor condition
- Duke is to retire in ruin
- State of ruin in Paris dire, unfortunately
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Decay" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case decay = disrepair.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 DISREPAIR mean?
DISREPAIR noun- The state of being in poor condition, in need of repair.
- To get into a state of disrepair.