Cryptic crossword clue
Secret of behaving badly and escaping punishment

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word SCOT FREE

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "escaping punishment" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case escaping punishment = scot free.
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 SCOT FREE mean?

SCOT FREE adverb
  1. Free of scot, free of tax.
  2. Without consequences or penalties, to go free without payment.

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