Cryptic crossword clue
Initially pernicious and harmful being ill-gotten gains 4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word PELF

P
E
L
F


Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "ill-gotten gains" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ill-gotten gains = pelf.
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 PELF mean?

PELF noun
  1. Money; riches; gain, especially when dishonestly acquired (compare lucre).

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