Cryptic crossword clue
Disciple with virtue gives explanation for incompetence 5,9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 9 letter word PETER PRINCIPLE

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
E
T
E
R
P
R
I
N
C
I
P
L
E

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "explanation for incompetence" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case explanation for incompetence = peter principle.
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.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations