The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 5 letter word HUSH MONEY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
H
U
S
H
M
O
N
E
Y
More clues leading to the result HUSH MONEY
- Spooner's sentimentality, something sweet providing inducement
- States monarch might be taken in by sweetener or bribe
- Liquid mush found in nectar must be a sweetener
- Bribe with some mushrooms cooked in nectar
- Silence is golden when this is paid?
- Spooner’s semi-solid sugar? You can’t tell with this sweetener
- Darling going round America with hot maiden gives bribe to keep it secret
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Silence is golden when this is paid?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case silence is golden when this is paid? = hush money.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.