Cryptic crossword clue
Earned plenty but prepared to strike forcefully? 4,1,4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 1 plus 4 letter word MADE A BOMB

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
A
D
E
A
B
O
M
B

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Earned plenty" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case earned plenty = made a bomb.
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.

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