Beat up the middleman? (6)
I believe the answer is:
batter
This could be a double definition.
'beat up' is the first definition.
(battering is a kind of beating up)
'middleman?' is the second definition.
The answer and definition can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for batter that I've seen before include "Strike repeatedly; cricketer" , "Beaten mixture of flour, eggs and milk for cooking" , "sportsman" , "Fish may be fried in this coating" , "Yorkshire pudding and cricket both require this" .)