Father steering clear of wild caper (5)
I believe the answer is:
antic
'caper' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'father steering clear of wild' is the wordplay.
'father' becomes 'fr' (abbreviation as in a priest's title).
'steering clear of' indicates named letters should be taken away (to steer clear of something is to avoid it).
'wild' becomes 'frantic' (similar in meaning).
'frantic' with 'fr' taken out is 'ANTIC'.
(Other definitions for antic that I've seen before include "Old clown" , "Playful caper" , "Caper; grotesque (arch.)" , "old buffoon" , "Frolic" .)