The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PTOMAINE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
T
O
M
A
I
N
E
More clues leading to the result PTOMAINE
- Cat in agony given drug, malodorous substance
- Emptied pot over me in a rage — it smells horrible!
- Revolutionary writer advancing power as poisonous stuff?
- A pimento when rotten produces a foul smelling compound
- Compound in which revolutionary leader seems to be self-absorbed!
- Compound transforming some paint without sulphur
- Offer nasty pie to man — it may well be poisonous
- What upsets me in a pot? Nasty-smelling chemical
- ...in a dirty pot at a US state produced food poisoning compound
- Poison opening of package to New England state
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "possible cause of illness" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case possible cause of illness = ptomaine.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PTOMAINE mean?
PTOMAINE noun- Any of various amines formed by putrefactive bacteria.
- Food poisoning.