Be prepared for a row or this phase goes awry (4,3,4)

I believe the answer is:

ship the oars

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

'be prepared for a row' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I cannot tell whether this works.

'or this phase goes awry' is the wordplay.
'goes awry' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'go awry' mean this (I've seen this in other clues)).
'or'+'this'+'phase'='orthisphase'
'orthisphase' is an anagram of 'SHIP THE OARS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for ship the oars that I've seen is " Stop rowing!".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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.