One failing to attend meal -- ring wife (2-4)
I believe the answer is:
no-show
'one failing to attend' is the definition.
'meal ring wife' is the wordplay.
'meal' becomes 'nosh' (nosh is a kind of meal).
'ring' becomes 'o'.
'wife' becomes 'w'.
'nosh'+'o'+'w'='NO-SHOW'
(Other definitions for no-show that I've seen before include "One not turning up" , "Someone who neither keeps nor cancels an engagement" , "One failing to appear as booked" , "Individual neither using nor cancelling a ticket" , "Non-attender" .)