The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word VOLATILE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
V
O
L
A
T
I
L
E
More clues leading to the result VOLATILE
- Detestable to describe books covering the return of Capone as explosive
- Liable to lose one’s memory
- Oval-shaped ceramic not lasting long
- Lively base straddling the equator?
- Temperamental rodent keeps swishing tail
- Explosive material about heads of Labour and Tories
- Explosive article penned by unbalanced evil lot
- Unpredictable burrowing animal concealing flickering tail
- Lav and toilet endlessly turned explosive
- A lot live dangerously, liable to explode
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "not lasting long" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case not lasting long = volatile.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 VOLATILE mean?
VOLATILE noun- A chemical or compound that changes into a gas easily.
- Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
- (of a substance) Explosive.
- (of a price etc) Variable or erratic.
- (of a person) Quick to become angry or violent.
- Fickle.
- Temporary or ephemeral.
- (of a situation) Potentially violent.
- (of a variable) Having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
- (of memory) Whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
- Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.