Unreliable obsessive hiding cryptic code finally left (9)
I believe the answer is:
anecdotal
'unreliable' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe you can see a link between them that I can't see?
'obsessive hiding cryptic code finally left' is the wordplay.
'obsessive' becomes 'anal' (anal can mean obsessed with order).
'hiding' is an insertion indicator.
'cryptic' indicates anagramming the letters (a cryptic or obscure order of the letters).
'finally' suggests the final letters.
The last letter of 'left' is 't'.
'code'+'t'='codet'
'codet' with letters rearranged gives 'ecdot'.
'anal' enclosing 'ecdot' is 'ANECDOTAL'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for anecdotal that I've seen before include "of short stories" , "In the form of a short entertaining story" , "from unreliable stories?" , "as regards the story" , "Like a story" .)