What does the cryptic crossword clue "Hippies: zeroes! They’re sure to fail (4,5)" mean?

The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). DEAD (synonym="Hippies? Maybe a reference to The Grateful Dead?") + DUCKS (synonym="zero scores in cricket") = DEADDUCKS The answer is DEADDUCKS.

Hippies: zeroes! They’re sure to fail (4,5)

Guardian Cryptic #29582 | 25 Across | 2025-01-03 flower

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