The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word UNSTEADY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
U
N
S
T
E
A
D
Y
More clues leading to the result UNSTEADY
- Insecure Sudan yet to rebuild
- Rock tune, say, keeping daughter rocking
- Dizzy playing tunes on jazzy day
- Rocky could be nude, say, dancing around top of table
- The Sunday roast: not hot, not safe
- Lacking balance, and nasty due to change
- Doctor stayed with multinational organisation, initially, not firm
- Wrongly tuned, say, erratic
- Insecure Sudan yet to reform
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "not firm" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case not firm = unsteady.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 UNSTEADY mean?
UNSTEADY verb- To render unsteady, removing balance.
- Not held firmly in position, physically unstable.
- Lacking regularity or uniformity.
- Inconstant in purpose, or volatile in behavior.