Cryptic crossword clue
US disease study to proceed, and proceed slowly, failing to end up before year 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ETIOLOGY

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
E
T
I
O
L
O
G
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "US disease study" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case us disease study = etiology.
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 ETIOLOGY mean?

ETIOLOGY noun
  1. The establishment of a cause, origin, or reason for something.
  2. The study of causes or causation.
  3. The study or investigation of the causes of disease; a scientific explanation for the origin of a disease.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations