Cryptic crossword clue
The friend at a dance lacking courage 5-7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word FAINT-HEARTED

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
F
A
I
N
T
-
H
E
A
R
T
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "lacking courage" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lacking courage = faint-hearted.
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 FAINT-HEARTED mean?

FAINT-HEARTED adjective
  1. Lacking courage; timid

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