Crossword Genius

Taken in and punished — not the first (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

eaten

'taken in' is the definition.
(take in can mean to eat)

'punished not the first' is the wordplay.
'punished' becomes 'beaten' (beating is a punishment).
'not the first' means to remove the first letter.
'beaten' with its initial letter taken away is 'EATEN'.

'and' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for eaten that I've seen before include "absorbed in the system" , "corroded" , "worried" , "used for food" , "Consumed" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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