Gongs for damsel in distress (6)
I believe the answer is:
medals
'gongs' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'damsel in distress' is the wordplay.
'in distress' indicates anagramming the letters.
'damsel' anagrammed gives 'MEDALS'.
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for medals that I've seen before include "Gongs" , "Metal discs given as awards" , "Small metal discs as awards - think Olympic games" , "Awards for damsel" , "Military decorations" .)