The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word FALLIBLE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
F
A
L
L
I
B
L
E
More clues leading to the result FALLIBLE
- Liable to error, bail fell out!
- Story about bad back inclined to go wrong
- Imperfect in naff all, I blethered heartily
- All too human story in which evil makes a comeback
- Human sin? Wrath’s one to start
- All too human tale covering the rise of trouble
- Item taken from hotel bill, after reflection likely to be wrong
- Human decline? Principally ignoring the Holy Book
- Spin wicked tale about human
- Unlikely story about returning ill, not to be relied on
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "not to be relied on" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case not to be relied on = fallible.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 FALLIBLE mean?
FALLIBLE adjective- Capable of making mistakes or being wrong.