Bells heard in battle? (4-4)
I believe the answer is:
ding-dong
'battle?' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't see how they can define each other.
'bells heard in' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'in' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ding-dong that I've seen before include "Fierce argument (colloq.)" , "Fight (with hammer and tongs?)" , "Sound of bell or slang argument" , "Violent exchange - sound of a bell" , "Sound of a clapper bell" .)