The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word LUCRE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
L
U
C
R
E
More clues leading to the result LUCRE
- Riches entice grabbing Conservative
- Caught in trap, illicit profit made
- Enticement to hide source of considerable wealth
- Charlie smuggled by decoy for ill-gotten gains
- Cruel jerks making money
- Draw involving clubs proceeds without honour?
- Coax to eat cold lolly
- Caught breaking convoluted rule for money
- New clue about origin of rags and riches
- Endless good fortune, about to get money
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "money" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case money = lucre.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 LUCRE mean?
LUCRE noun- Money, riches, or wealth, especially when seen as having a corrupting effect or causing greed, or obtained in an underhanded manner.