The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 5 letter word TIME LIMIT
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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More clues leading to the result TIME LIMIT
- Item revised and bound, making deadline
- Moved tile 1mm — it fixed window
- Farron and Henman face off over priest setting deadline
- Magazine writer’s breaking reading deadline
- One minute after the first Spice Girl gets into Bristol, given this no longer possible?
- Magazine bound to make
- Stir a lot of citrus fruit, and appeal for date to finish
- Bond holding masculine student in unnamed Cambridge college for period allowed
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "deadline/ (4,5)" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case deadline/ (4,5) = time limit.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.
Crossword Answer definitions
TIME LIMIT noun- A time by which something must finish
- A duration beyond which something may not exceed
- To set a time limit on.