The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BATHETIC
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
A
T
H
E
T
I
C
More clues leading to the result BATHETIC
- British like sportsmen losing large and being a real letdown
- Jane Austen’s city quote brought up to ludicrous effect
- Like a damp squib? Hate it going off cold afte 6th of November
- Article penned by cricketer — reserve missing last place, causing anticlimax
- Disappointing and woeful leader must be replaced
- Disappointing architectural city? Call back
- Suddenly pedestrian in English city sent back summons
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "to ludicrous effect" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case to ludicrous effect = bathetic.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 BATHETIC mean?
BATHETIC adjective- Characterized by or pertaining to bathos.