Giving nothing away about the failure to lock up? (12)
I believe the answer is:
noncommittal
'giving' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'nothing away about the failure to lock up?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'nothing' could be 'no' (similar in meaning) and 'no' is found within the answer.
'away' could be 'a' (abbreviation as used in sports fixtures) and 'a' is present in the answer.
'about' could be 'c' (abbreviation for circa) and 'c' is found within the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for noncommittal that I've seen before include "Cautious" , "Guarded in speech" , "Very many" .)