The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word BOG-STANDARD
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
O
G
-
S
T
A
N
D
A
R
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "nothing special" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case nothing special = bog-standard.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 BOG-STANDARD mean?
BOG-STANDARD adjective- Utterly basic, ordinary, or standard; unremarkable, unexceptional, etc.