The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word IMMATURE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
I
M
M
A
T
U
R
E
More clues leading to the result IMMATURE
- Green put in prison when limiting alternative technology
- Inexperienced mum, irate, getting flustered
- A rum time, fooling around like a child
- A rum time, unfortunately, to be wet behind the ears
- . Inexperienced taking motorway, retired friend’s crossing old city
- Mum struggling with irate juvenile
- Green wall up protecting revolutionary army
- Green activist on vacation shut up housing
- Boatman’s grown but yet to reach full potential
- Like child making busy mum irate?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Like child" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case like child = immature.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 IMMATURE mean?
IMMATURE noun- An immature member of a species.
- Occurring before the proper time; untimely, premature (especially of death).
- Not fully formed or developed; not grown.
- Childish in behavior; juvenile.