The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word CATASTROPHE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
A
T
A
S
T
R
O
P
H
E
More clues leading to the result CATASTROPHE
- Fellow space expert having half forgotten energy debacle
- Disaster when going after pet? What drink's got knocked over?
- Toaster chap fixed brings disaster
- Cheers received by Communist leader, quiet man in terrible event
- Disaster when jazz fan leads a Greek song
- Act out a Greek choral song? That would be a disaster!
- Attach ropes loosely in disaster
- Calamity kitty finds a way to get her head caught in string
- Tiger, say, having a fit of bad temper — he’s a disaster!
- Animal with a bad temper — he creates disaster
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "disaster" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case disaster = catastrophe.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 CATASTROPHE mean?
CATASTROPHE noun- Any large and disastrous event of great significance
- A disaster beyond expectations
- The dramatic event that initiates the resolution of the plot; the dénouement
- A type of bifurcation, where a system shifts between two stable states