Cryptic crossword clue
Former No1 cause of red nose – extremely drunk, following this order? 6,2,6

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 2 plus 6 letter word RETURN TO SENDER

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
R
E
T
U
R
N
T
O
S
E
N
D
E
R

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Former No.1" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case former no.1 = return to sender.
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.

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