The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word GERMINATE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
G
E
R
M
I
N
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result GERMINATE
- Shoot at stoat going round at rear of building
- Shoot a regiment that’s out of order
- Start to develop golf – stop losing lead
- Good quality fur takes a time to come to life
- Develop garden’s front end, having time off
- Develop a way to check the origin of merchandise entering Ireland
- Shoot mad miner in entrance
- Develop a metering problem
- Shoot queen’s minister in entrance
- Preparing a regiment to shoot
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "come to life" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case come to life = germinate.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 GERMINATE mean?
GERMINATE verb- Of a seed, to begin to grow, to sprout roots and leaves.
- To cause to grow; to produce.