Maybe it isn't said to be a bad thing? (5)
I believe the answer is:
taint
'bad thing?' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both states of affairs as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'maybe it isn't said to be a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'maybe' could be 'i' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'i' is found in the answer.
'it' could be 't' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis) and 't' is found within the answer.
'said' could be 't' (I've seen this in other clues) and 't' is located in the answer.
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is located in the remaining letters.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for taint that I've seen before include "Evidence of pollution" , "(Trace of) corruption" , "Flaw in Titan" , "It isn't commonly" , "Contaminating influence" .)