The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DOWNTIME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
D
O
W
N
T
I
M
E
More clues leading to the result DOWNTIME
- Inactive period when little money constrains town planning
- Men do it haphazardly around start of weekend in leisurely period?
- Won’t breaking into a little money lead to a period of rest?
- Feeling gloomy? Schedule an idle spell
- Break some insulation, turning vent
- Diet now prepared to entertain Frenchman in a temporary pause from work?
- Issue rejected after miserable break
- Sad Herb announced period when all working stops
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "period when all working stops" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case period when all working stops = downtime.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 DOWNTIME mean?
DOWNTIME noun- The amount of time lost due to forces beyond one's control, as with a computer crash.
- A period of time set aside for rest and relaxation; leisure time.