The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 3 plus 5 letter word ON THE LEVEL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
N
T
H
E
L
E
V
E
L
More clues leading to the result ON THE LEVEL
- Event Hello! arranged? True
- Highest degree, English, old examination accepted, above board
- Honest and lacking any slant
- Open Hello! — event getting spread
- Not upset by female going both ways in 15 regions, honest!
- No tipping? Honestly!
- Not sliding downwards, unlikely even to hell
- Truthful in flat
- New article probing school exam is fair
- Having no inclination whatsoever to be honest
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Not sliding downwards" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case not sliding downwards = on the level.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.