Crossword Genius

Remarkable stable state that is difficult to achieve (4,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tall order

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'is difficult to achieve' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'remarkable stable state' is the wordplay.
'remarkable' becomes 'tall' (I've seen this before).
'stable state' becomes 'order' (order is a kind of state. I am not sure about the 'stable' bit.).
'tall'+'order'='TALL ORDER'

'that' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tall order that I've seen before include "Difficult demand" , "Demanding work" , "Lot to ask" , "unreasonable request" , "as the building of Babel was?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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