The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word OVERSLEPT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
V
E
R
S
L
E
P
T
More clues leading to the result OVERSLEPT
- Was late up — pet lovers wild
- Lover’s pet snakes failed to stir
- Rose late, lover set about throttling paramour for a start!
- Turned out too late?
- Did not turn out as intended
- Solver, tossing and turning with sick pet, didn't wake up in time
- Aroused lovers kept heading off and stayed in bed too long
- Tardily, woke Liberal goes on record, boring new voters
- Questionable resolve shown by personal trainer having ignored alarm clock?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "failed to stir" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case failed to stir = overslept.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 OVERSLEPT mean?
OVERSLEPT verb- To sleep for longer than intended.
- To sleep for longer than one intended.
- To sleep beyond (a given time), to sleep through (an event etc.).