Give credit to memory aid in case unable to get started (7)
I believe the answer is:
ascribe
'give' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'credit to memory aid in case unable to get started' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'credit' could be 'cr' (abbreviation) and 'cr' is found within the answer.
'get' could be 'be' ('get' can mean 'come to be') and 'be' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'asi' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ascribe that I've seen before include "put down" , "Attribute or impute" , "Attribute (something to a cause)" , "Attribute to, say, an old writer?" , "Attribute in Brescia" .)