The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word SMOKE BOMB
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
M
O
K
E
B
O
M
B
More clues leading to the result SMOKE BOMB
- Screen producer’s turkey chasing small donkey
- Way to cure turkey that won’t burst into flames
- Draw on fortune to produce weapon
- Small donkey a flop when it comes clouding the issue
- Cloud the issue when one is thrown?
- Capital profit’s explosive
- Southern donkey’s failure for producer of suspended particles
- One goes off and hides large sum of money needed to support London?
- Bachelor behind the crowd uprising follows the fumes of an explosive device
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "that won’t burst into flames (despite appearances)" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case that won’t burst into flames (despite appearances) = smoke bomb.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.