Didn't make a will, but had a meal during trial (9)
I believe the answer is:
intestate
'didn't make a will' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'had a meal during trial' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'had' could be 'ate' (e.g. I had an ice cream) and 'ate' is found in the answer.
'during' could be 'in' (e.g. during February means in February) and 'in' is located in the answer.
'trial' could be 'test' (synonyms) and 'test' is located in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'but' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for intestate that I've seen before include "Unwilling" , "Not having written a will before death" , "not prepared to leave" , "Dying thus, one has left no will" , "dead without having made a will" .)