The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 letter word ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL
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More clues leading to the result ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "try vainly to settle debt" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case try vainly to settle debt = rob peter to pay paul.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.