The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 4 plus 2 plus 2 letter word THE GAME IS UP
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
T
H
E
G
A
M
E
I
S
U
P
More clues leading to the result THE GAME IS UP
- You’re caught; could this describe Quidditch?
- Ducks are flying above shooters? All is revealed!
- Same huge pit excavated? All is revealed
- You’re apprehended — the consequence of a beating?
- All is revealed as a result of beating?
- Met geisha, slyly, at college? You’ve been found out!
- As you can see, in each other down solution your plans have been thwarted!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "You’ve been found out!" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case you’ve been found out! = the game is up.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.