Courage to turn east (5)
I believe the answer is:
spine
'courage' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'turn east' is the wordplay.
'turn' becomes 'spin' (spin is a kind of turn).
'east' becomes 'E' (synonyms).
'spin'+'e'='SPINE'
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for spine that I've seen before include "Vertebrae, complete" , "Part of a book" , "Series of vertebrae" , "Strength of character" , "Backbone" .)