Cryptic crossword clue
In reality time after time follows small preference for the last course 5,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 5 letter word SWEET TOOTH

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
W
E
E
T
T
O
O
T
H

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "preference for the last course" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case preference for the last course = sweet tooth.
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.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations