The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 3 plus 4 plus 2 plus 2 letter word FOR THE LIFE OF ME
F
O
R
T
H
E
L
I
F
E
O
F
M
E
More clues leading to the result FOR THE LIFE OF ME
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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.