The Clue
Came to grief (9 letter answer)
The Answer
FOUNDERED
Tags
Notes
The answer FOUNDERED is so rare that it appears less than once every 2500 puzzles.
Definition
FOUNDER as a verb:
1. (fall through, fall flat, founder, flop) = fail utterly; collapse; "The project foundered"
2. sink below the surface
3. (collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder) = break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"
4. stumble and nearly fall; "the horses foundered"