The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word FORTY-NINER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
F
O
R
T
Y
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N
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Gold-digger" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case gold-digger = forty-niner.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 FORTY-NINER mean?
FORTY-NINER noun- A class of two-handed double-trapeze dinghy (from its maximum length of 16 feet, approx. 4900 millimetres).
- A miner or other person who took part in the California gold rush of 1849.
- A player for the San Francisco 49ers, an NFL team.
- A student or player on a sports team at California State University, Long Beach (more commonly known as "Long Beach State").
- A student or player on a sports team at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (more commonly known as "Charlotte" in a sports context).