The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word WEEKNIGHT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
W
E
E
K
N
I
G
H
T
More clues leading to the result WEEKNIGHT
- Friday even, for example, could be a little cavalier
- Little man on board at end of working day?
- Insignificant man on board one evening after work?
- Jouster on Shetland pony for hours after work?
- Little man will be wanting an early bedtime then?
- Diminutive Man Friday’s last few hours?
- Not the best time for revelry for little Philip Green perhaps?
- Saturday evening is not a small piece
- Little man like Tony Robinson gets an evening between Monday and Friday
- Overheard description of Don Quixote’s end of a working day?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "hours after work?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hours after work? = weeknight.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.