The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SAGA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
A
G
A
More clues leading to the result SAGA
- Drop a heroic tale
- Heroic narrative linking South America and Georgia
- Droop when encountering a lengthy account
- Give a detailed account
- Droop, faced with a story of epic proportions
- Story’s a hoot, on reflection
- Retraction of nitrogen? A long story
- Long history of silver being found in South Africa
- Talk about a long story!
- Give a long involved story
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "detailed account" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case detailed account = saga.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 SAGA mean?
SAGA noun- An Old Norse (Icelandic) prose narrative, especially one dealing with family or social histories and legends.
- Something with the qualities of such a saga; an epic, a long story.