Quiet at the back, Roger! (5)
I believe the answer is:
shaft
'roger' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are verbs in their base form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'quiet at the back' is the wordplay.
'quiet' becomes 'sh' (both can be said to tell someone to be quiet).
'at' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'the back' becomes 'aft' (at the back of a ship).
'sh'+'aft'='SHAFT'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shaft that I've seen before include "Ray; access hole to a mine" , "A little light" , "Stem, handle; (light) ray" , "Ray (of sunlight)" , "Body of an arrow" .)