Dicky knew old cousins retire to gain strength (4,4,6)

I believe the answer is:

lick ones wounds

'retire to gain strength' is the definition.

'dicky knew old cousins' is the wordplay.
'dicky' indicates anagramming the letters (dicky can mean ill or non-functioning).
'knew'+'old'+'cousins'='knewoldcousins'
'knewoldcousins' is an anagram of 'LICK ONES WOUNDS'.

(Another definition for lick ones wounds that I've seen is " Retire after defeat".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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