The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 2 letter word HARD UP
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
H
A
R
D
U
P
More clues leading to the result HARD UP
- Harsh at university on the breadline
- Far from comfortable, condemned characters in purdah
- Poor firm in a cheerful mood
- Not having enough soft down, presumably
- It’s not easy at Oxford, say, being unable to make ends meet
- Firm in profit short of cash
- Poor pre-election period, back with a change of heart
- Hurt when losing millions, political party is financially embarrassed
- Difficult to get ahead, being short of money
- Poor firm later making a profit
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "on the breadline" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case on the breadline = hard up.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.