Cryptic crossword clue
Tried, having cheated in the past 3,1,2

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 1 plus 2 letter word HAD A GO

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
H
A
D
A
G
O

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Tried" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case tried = had a go.
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.

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