The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word NINETY
N
I
N
E
T
Y
More clues leading to the result NINETY
- Number I catch being smuggled into US city
- Cardinal featuring in sex-change, excommunicated
- A number in female side upset about goal
- Heartless fool screening film in old age
- A number appearing in the middle of corn-exchange
- Number I catch in New York
- Degree of precision: ‘Number … not 100 … bit less than 100‘
- It’s reached by nonagenarian in Tyne, swimming
- Number unknown, figure in stands
- Somewhat excessive number
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "bit less than 100" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case bit less than 100 = ninety.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 NINETY mean?
NINETY numeral- The cardinal number occurring after eighty-nine and before ninety-one, represented in Roman numerals as XC and in Arabic numerals as 90.