The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word INACTION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
I
N
A
C
T
I
O
N
More clues leading to the result INACTION
- Not doing anything interesting initially, I cannot elaborate
- Being motionless I cannot … I must move!
- Inertia in group when leader's gone
- Popular group heading off lack of engagement
- Fighting inertia
- Idleness indeed
- Doing nothing but fighting?
- During opening passage of play, cricket side’s doing nothing
- Aware of being bored by start of play’s inertia
- Lack of response from independent Conservative dividing people
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Nothing doing" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case nothing doing = inaction.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 INACTION mean?
INACTION noun- Lack of action or activity or labor