Cryptic crossword clue
Do nothing productive, say, kept by one previously serving at back of store 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word VEGETATE

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
V
E
G
E
T
A
T
E

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Do nothing productive" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case do nothing productive = vegetate.
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 VEGETATE mean?

VEGETATE verb
  1. (of a plant) To grow or sprout.
  2. (of a wart etc) To spread abnormally.
  3. To live or spend a period of time in a dull, inactive, unchallenging way.

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