Crossword Genius

Acquire drug on street, getting intense (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earnest

'intense' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'acquire drug on street' is the wordplay.
'acquire' becomes 'earn' (earning is a kind of acquiring).
'drug' becomes 'e' (E is another name for ecstasy).
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'street' becomes 'st' (abbreviation).
'earn'+'e'+'st'='EARNEST'

'getting' is the link.

(Other definitions for earnest that I've seen before include "showing seriousness" , "Eastern (anag.)" , "Fervent - down payment" , "Sincere in intention" , "Solemn; pledge" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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