The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 letter word BRING UP THE REAR
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
B
R
I
N
G
U
P
T
H
E
R
E
A
R
More clues leading to the result BRING UP THE REAR
- Lag repeatedly to raise time he's held
- Be last to contact certain soldiers in pub
- Mention the woman entering race to come last
- Twice raise the admission to be last in
- Come in last and call at that place in pub
- Be last group to enter bar, turning up rather buzzed after consuming ecstasy
- Be final: propose that location has area reduced by 50 per cent
- a/13a Prize-fighters as title contenders will punch but finish last
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "to be last in" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case to be last in = bring up the rear.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.