The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word LAPSE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
L
A
P
S
E
More clues leading to the result LAPSE
- Fall in part of race, starts to seem exhausted
- Drinks excessively at first, leading to fall
- Large portion of church in decline
- Drinks picked up with ear drop
- Line in front of church recess for sin
- LSE admitting a professor's first mistake
- Moral shortcoming that comes with drinks we hear
- LSE admitting reactionary old man's mistake
- Pass by circuit on Silverstone’s borders
- Left part of church in decline
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "mistake" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case mistake = lapse.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 LAPSE mean?
LAPSE noun- A temporary failure; a slip.
- A decline or fall in standards.
- A pause in continuity.
- An interval of time between events.
- A termination of a right etc., through disuse or neglect.
- A marked decrease in air temperature with increasing altitude because the ground is warmer than the surrounding air.
- A common-law rule that if the person to whom property is willed were to die before the testator, then the gift would be ineffective.
- A fall or apostasy.
- To fall away gradually; to subside.
- To fall into error or heresy.
- To slip into a bad habit that one is trying to avoid.
- To become void.
- To fall or pass from one proprietor to another, or from the original destination, by the omission, negligence, or failure of somebody, such as a patron or legatee.