The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 3 plus 4 plus 2 plus 4 letter word IN THE NICK OF TIME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
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More clues leading to the result IN THE NICK OF TIME
- Gaoled frequently, I am free finally at the last moment
- Frequently banged up, I’m finally free at the eleventh hour
- Imprisoned by the enemy at the last possible moment?
- Being held captive by spell at the critical moment
- Imprisoned owing to sentence made at the last minute
- Imprisoned frequently, I am free finally — just before something terrible happens?
- At the critical moment imprisoned by sentence
- Imprisoned frequently, I am last to escape with moments to spare
- Imprisoned old fellow must get over sentence just at a critical moment
- Devilishly good squash shot oft played at the critical moment
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "just before something terrible happens" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case just before something terrible happens = in the nick of time.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.