The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word INITIATIVE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
I
N
I
T
I
A
T
I
V
E
More clues leading to the result INITIATIVE
- Start penning fourth scheme
- Lead in Italian international musical makes a comeback
- First step, introduce about four
- Enterprise scheme
- First step of independent resident around Italian island
- Island dweller dresses in this, oddly, showing enterprise
- Lloyd Webber musical’s current cash reverting to international enterprise
- Beginner given drips to gain energy
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "First step" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case first step = initiative.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 INITIATIVE mean?
INITIATIVE noun- A beginning; a first move.
- A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.
- The ability to act first or on one's own.
- An issue to be voted on, brought to the ballot by a sufficient number of signatures from among the voting public.
- Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.
- In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.