Cryptic crossword clue
The sort of existence crew have to speak of silently? 4,2,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 2 plus 5 letter word HAND TO MOUTH

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
H
A
N
D
T
O
M
O
U
T
H

Buddy explains!

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 HAND TO MOUTH mean?

HAND TO MOUTH adjective
  1. Involving immediate consumption (especially of food) with no provision for the future; having barely enough to survive, in poverty

Latest crossword clues with full explanations