Activist gets rougher when going back inside (8)
I believe the answer is:
crusader
'activist' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe you can see a link between them that I can't see?
'rougher when going back inside' is the wordplay.
'rougher' becomes 'cruder' ('crude' can be similar in meaning to 'rough').
'when' becomes 'as' (eg 'when I walked' means 'as I walked').
'going back' says the letters should be written backwards.
'inside' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'as' back-to-front is 'sa'.
'cruder' placed around 'sa' is 'CRUSADER'.
'gets' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for crusader that I've seen before include "Christian warrior" , "Earnest campaigner" , "RA cursed (anag) - one fighting for a cause" , "Campaigner -- rude scar (anag)" , "Person engaged upon a cause" .)