Cryptic crossword clue
Greek writer and painter, having first time off work, terribly ashen 12

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word ARISTOPHANES

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
A
R
I
S
T
O
P
H
A
N
E
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Greek writer" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case greek writer = aristophanes.
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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