Father abandons desperate caper (5)
I believe the answer is:
antic
'caper' is the definition.
(synonyms)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for antic that I've seen before include "Caper, trick" , "Playful caper" , "Mad act done for fun" , "seen to be bizarre, at one time" , "Ludicrous act done for fun" .)