The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word IDLEST
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
I
D
L
E
S
T
More clues leading to the result IDLEST
- Least likely to work, namely after imbibing litres
- Listed building is least occupied
- Learner that is outwardly least diligent
- Learner being kept in that is least likely to make an effort
- Being least active, I had to take the continental way
- Learner in Latin that is least diligent
- Like the most reluctant pupil that is having to get a grasp of Latin
- Namely, keeping in learner working least
- Accepting lecturer that is not doing anything
- That learner is the laziest!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "least diligent" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case least diligent = idlest.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.