The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word OVERDOSE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
O
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More clues leading to the result OVERDOSE
- Finished parties on ecstasy, too much of it perhaps
- Old poem about party excess that may be fatal
- Fate of one who didn’t take just what the doctor ordered
- It could make one ever so zonked going round party!
- . Dove rose awkwardly — too much of drug, perhaps
- Exaggerate and vacuously state what a junkie or suicidal fellow might do
- After lover is decapitated, does punk shoot up too much?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "excess that may be fatal" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case excess that may be fatal = overdose.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 OVERDOSE mean?
OVERDOSE noun- An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug.
- To dose excessively, to take an overdose.
- To indulge in something excessively.
- To dose to excess; to give an overdose, or too many doses, to.