The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 5 plus 8 letter word AT CLOSE QUARTERS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
A
T
C
L
O
S
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Q
U
A
R
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S
More clues leading to the result AT CLOSE QUARTERS
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "nearby" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case nearby = at close quarters.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.