The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word PAINSTAKING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
A
I
N
S
T
A
K
I
N
G
More clues leading to the result PAINSTAKING
- Father during betting is very careful
- Assiduous old man in street meeting a top man
- Meticulous old man at home putting up posts
- Extremely careful old man, not out gambling
- Conscientious old man at home killing vampires?
- Thorough acupuncture?
- Describe a ruler inspiring society being diligent
- Very careful is Pennsylvania in betting
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "very careful" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case very careful = painstaking.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 PAINSTAKING mean?
PAINSTAKING noun- The application of careful and attentive effort.
- Carefully attentive to details; diligent in performing a process or procedure.