The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word CADAVEROUS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
A
D
A
V
E
R
O
U
S
More clues leading to the result CADAVEROUS
- Gaunt, ill-mannered chap insists on hanging round colleges
- Scoundrel to attest against old American, without much substance
- Scoundrels about to claim Oxford University is like death
- Sickly-looking wretch gets ill over in Australia
- Ghastly Caruso broadcast cut by TV channel
- Gaunt old American beneath fellow in saloon
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "without much substance" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case without much substance = cadaverous.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 CADAVEROUS mean?
CADAVEROUS adjective- Corpselike; hinting of death; imitating a cadaver.