The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word INTERMITTENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
I
N
T
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M
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T
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T
More clues leading to the result INTERMITTENT
- Occasional short insect breaks inside camping shelter
- Occasional aim to grasp word, Italian
- Irregular plan — queen has a hand in it
- Now and then determined to hold tailless insect
- Occurring occasionally when meaning to accept an end to it
- Occasional purpose capturing so-called white ant with no tail
- Irregular winter mitten, torn partially
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Now and then" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case now and then = intermittent.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 INTERMITTENT mean?
INTERMITTENT noun- An intermittent fever or disease.
- Stopping and starting, occuring, or presenting at intervals; coming after a particular time span.
- (specifically, of a body of water) Existing only for certain seasons; that is, being dry for part of the year.