The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 4 plus 4 letter word IN DIRE NEED
I
N
D
I
R
E
N
E
E
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "R/desperate" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case r/desperate = in dire need.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.