Cryptic crossword clue
Unresponsive element of conversation among peers? 5,3

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 letter word NOBLE GAS

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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O
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Unresponsive element" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case unresponsive element = noble gas.
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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