The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word HAPPENSTANCE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
H
A
P
P
E
N
S
T
A
N
C
E
More clues leading to the result HAPPENSTANCE
- Accident from bloke losing head before making unknown street in Cornish town
- Writer bumping into ten chaps, a peculiar coincidence
- Chance expression of disgust about change involving co-star of Oliver!
- Fellow writer getting caught out by attitude that wasn’t planned
- Fellow losing head, writer with position that you wouldn't have anticipated
- Wild apes with penchant for coincidence
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "that you wouldn't have anticipated" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case that you wouldn't have anticipated = happenstance.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 HAPPENSTANCE mean?
HAPPENSTANCE noun- The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance.
- A chance or random event or circumstance.