The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word LAST GASP
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
A
S
T
G
A
S
P
More clues leading to the result LAST GASP
- Survive … hold on … no hint of recovery … then this?
- Officer and doctor each held when close to death
- Like a final wheeze, just in time?
- . Final pant before croaking?
- Street gossip stops friend returning just in time
- Final moment of rampant stags, drowned in drink
- Final flag hoisted above ship’s stern, done in desperation at the eleventh hour
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "close to death" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case close to death = last gasp.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 LAST GASP mean?
LAST GASP adjective- Happening at the very end of an event.