The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word NOTICE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
N
O
T
I
C
E
More clues leading to the result NOTICE
- Spot water that's still liquid?
- Spot what's found in warmer water?
- Work it out before you leave
- See old books with pleasant binding
- See it once, moving
- See meltwater then?
- Recognise description of fake diamonds?
- Spot the sack that’s put on board
- Bill‘s idiotic definition of steam?
- Pleasant around even parts of North – observe
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Time allowed for preparation" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case time allowed for preparation = notice.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 NOTICE mean?
NOTICE noun- The act of observing; perception.
- A written or printed announcement.
- A formal notification or warning.
- Advance notification of termination of employment, given by an employer to an employee or vice versa.
- A published critical review of a play or the like.
- Prior notification.
- Attention; respectful treatment; civility.
- To remark upon; to mention.
- To become aware of; to observe.
- To lavish attention upon; to treat (someone) favourably.
- To be noticeable; to show.