Empress with a hold on power last to get stripped (9)
I believe the answer is:
agrippina
'empress' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'a hold on power last to get stripped' is the wordplay.
'hold on' becomes 'grip' (synonyms).
'power last' becomes 'pin' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'to get' becomes 'bag' (bag can mean to secure or obtain).
'stripped' indicates the central letters (outside letters removed).
The centre of 'bag' is 'a'.
'a'+'grip'+'pin'+'a'='AGRIPPINA'
'with' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for agrippina that I've seen before include "Mother of Nero" , "Mother of Caligula" , "Roman emperor's wife" , "Greek murder victim" , "Emperor's sister" .)