Preposterous list often added to with conviction? (8)
'preposterous list often' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.
'added to with conviction?' is the wordplay.
'added to' becomes 'criminal' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'conviction?' becomes 'record' (a criminal conviction entails a criminal record).
'criminal'+'record'='CRIMINAL RECORD'
Can you help me to learn more?
'preposterous' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps you can see an association between them that I can't see?
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for criminal that I've seen before include "Person who breaks the law for a living" , "hood" , "A bad hat" , "An habitual breaker of the law" , "Deplorable, shocking" .)