A quality we don't bother to show (12)
I believe the answer is:
carelessness
'show' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both acts as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe you can see an association between them that I don't see?
'a quality we don't bother' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
'quality' could be 'ness' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'ness' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'to' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for carelessness that I've seen before include "Negligence" , "Unconcerned attitude" , "Failure to act with prudence" , "Believing (someone as committed crime)" , "Perhaps both parents' loss" .)