Crossword Genius

Criminal venture to achieve mastery (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

conquest

'mastery' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'criminal venture' is the wordplay.
'criminal' becomes 'con' (abbreviation for 'convict').
'venture' becomes 'quest' (both can mean a mission or endeavour).
'con'+'quest'='CONQUEST'

'to achieve' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for conquest that I've seen before include "occupied territory" , "Catch" , "hostile takeover" , "Vanquishment" , "The subjugation and assumption of control by military force" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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