Crossword Genius

Seem proud to be responsible for the hold-up (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

strut

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'hold-up' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are singular nouns.
Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?

'seem proud to be responsible for the' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'be' could be 'rut' (rutting is a kind of being) and 'rut' is located in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
A single letter 's' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for strut that I've seen before include "Supportive member" , "Walk pompously" , "Swagger; bracing bar" , "Stalk" , "Walk with proud and conceited gait" .)

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.