The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 2 plus 4 plus 4 letter word AT THIS RATE
A
T
T
H
I
S
R
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result AT THIS RATE
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "if things continue as they are" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case if things continue as they are = at this rate.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.