The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word VACILLATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
V
A
C
I
L
L
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result VACILLATE
- Dither, as everyone is caught up in active moving
- Poorly during leave, go back and forth
- Wobble, being unwell during leave
- Feel wobbly and empty, sick inside
- Unfortunate, having to quit holding sway
- Be unsteady, vital lace coming undone
- Dither, out of sorts during leave
- Hesitate to get sick during leave
- Wobble being unwell during leave
- Keep changing mind as poorly during leave
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "go back and forth" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case go back and forth = vacillate.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 VACILLATE mean?
VACILLATE verb- To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
- To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.