The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SOBRIETY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
O
B
R
I
E
T
Y
More clues leading to the result SOBRIETY
- Not the condition of drunkard unknown to eat cheese?
- Reshuffle by Tories: that’s a serious state
- Cheese eaten by habitual drunkard unknown for temperance
- Boris yet to exercise temperance
- Property of a judge that’s missing in Lords?
- Thus French produce case of therapy in moderation
- Moderation, yet Boris might achieve it
- What characterises judge could be expressed as “Bye riots”?
- Restraint of drunk circling empty bar? That’s unknown
- Drunkard swallowing cheese and last of fizzy wine does not enhance it
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Not the condition of drunkard" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case not the condition of drunkard = sobriety.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 SOBRIETY mean?
SOBRIETY noun- The quality or state of being sober.
- Soundness of judgement.