Cryptic crossword clue
Desperate hunt in sale to acquire latest in apparel to put it briefly 2,1,8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 1 plus 8 letter word IN A NUTSHELL

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
I
N
A
N
U
T
S
H
E
L
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "to put it briefly" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case to put it briefly = in a nutshell.
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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