The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word SLUSH FUND
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
L
U
S
H
F
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D
More clues leading to the result SLUSH FUND
- Reserve ready for bribery? Sentimentality associated with sport died
- Son, drunk, kicks daughter and kitty for no good reason?
- Luxuriant merriment during second date, money spent on wicked things
- Money for bribes and lavish entertainment held by heartless sod
- Questionable political capital made from rich receiving entertainment in South Dakota
- Source of corruption in opulent sport dividing southern Germany
- Enjoyment in sentimentality waned finally — dubious source of money?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Source of corruption" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case source of corruption = slush fund.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.