Beats up to get the money (6)
I believe the answer is:
pounds
'beats' is the definition.
('pound' can be a synonym of 'beat')
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pounds that I've seen before include "reserves" , "Money and measures" , "Cash" , "Hammers" , "UK monetary units" .)