Cryptic crossword clue
Failure to appear in numbers; in what way? 2,4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 4 letter word NO SHOW

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
N
O
S
H
O
W


Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Failure to appear" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case failure to appear = no show.
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 NO SHOW mean?

NO SHOW noun
  1. An absence; failure to show up or to make a scheduled appearance, especially at a hotel or a place of employment.
  2. A person or group that does not show up.
NO SHOW verb
  1. To fail to show up for something.

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