Cryptic crossword clue
Echo caught by friend not ready to speak 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PREVERBAL

P
R
E
V
E
R
B
A
L

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "not ready to speak" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case not ready to speak = preverbal.
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 PREVERBAL mean?

PREVERBAL noun
  1. (grammar) A preverb.
PREVERBAL adjective
  1. (child development) At an early stage of development in which one is not yet able to communicate by means of words.
  2. (of a part of speech) Occurring before the verb in a sentence or expression.

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