English sailor hurried back to tell tale (7)
I believe the answer is:
narrate
'tell tale' is the definition.
'narrate' can be an answer for 'tell' (synonyms). I also know that 'tale' relates to this answer.
'english sailor hurried back' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'sailor' becomes 'tar' (slang term for a sailor).
'hurried' becomes 'ran' (running is a kind of hurrying).
'back' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'e'+'tar'+'ran'='etarran'
'etarran' reversed gives 'NARRATE'.
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for narrate that I've seen before include "'Recount, tell (7)'" , "Read" , "Tell a story, recite" , "Report; tell" , "Give a detailed account" .)