Cryptic crossword clue
To save, I grant, was difficult with these 10,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 plus 5 letter word STARVATION WAGES

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
T
A
R
V
A
T
I
O
N
W
A
G
E
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "To save, I grant, was difficult with these" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case to save, i grant, was difficult with these = starvation wages.
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.

Crossword Answer definitions

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