Bully the French soon (4,2)
I believe the answer is:
lean on
'bully' is the definition.
(both can mean to put pressure on someone)
'the french soon' is the wordplay.
'the french' becomes 'le' ('the' in French).
'soon' becomes 'anon' (synonyms).
'le'+'anon'='LEAN-ON'
(Other definitions for lean on that I've seen before include "Informally, seek to intimidate" , "Seek support from" , "Cling to" , "Put trust in" , "Informally, try to influence by intimidation - rest against" .)