Crossword Genius

Fighting to give cowards heart (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

war

'fighting' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'cowards heart' is the wordplay.
'heart' indicates the central letters.
The middle letters of 'cowards' are 'WAR'.

'to give' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for war that I've seen before include "State of armed struggle" , "series of engagements" , "Sustained conflict" , "Armed hostility" , "Fight" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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