The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word OBSOLESCENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
O
B
S
O
L
E
S
C
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result OBSOLESCENT
- Wobbly cobblestones bishop avoided on the way out
- Celebs not so spoilt, losing currency
- Round entrance to Billingsgate smell of fish about to disappear?
- Only trace found by old boy is out of date
- Nasty smell around, only with perfume added not as evident as before
- Love black fish aroma approaching the sell-by date?
- Ageing old boy with unique odour
- Bad smell around fish, odour on the way out
- After revolution in personal hygiene problems, exclusive perfume is 28
- Russian river fish — by the smell, going out of date
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "approaching the sell-by date" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case approaching the sell-by date = obsolescent.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 OBSOLESCENT mean?
OBSOLESCENT adjective- In the process of becoming obsolete, but not obsolete yet.