The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word BOTTLENECK
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
O
T
T
L
E
N
E
C
K
More clues leading to the result BOTTLENECK
- Nerve and audacity shown in hold-up
- Jugular nerve out of order, a constriction
- Daring kiss, source of congestion
- Courage, pet – it’s a hold-up
- Impudence following courage may cause delay
- Congestion in throat after large measure of vodka, say?
- Hold-up requires audacity and impudence
- Bronte regularly let cast kiss in confined space
- Where to bung wine
- Hold up close to Cork
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "may cause delay" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case may cause delay = bottleneck.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 BOTTLENECK mean?
BOTTLENECK noun- The narrow portion that forms the pouring spout of a bottle; the neck of a bottle.
- In traffic, any narrowing of the road, especially resulting in a delay.
- (by extension) The part of a process that is too slow or cumbersome.
- To slow by causing a bottleneck.
- To form a bottleneck.