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 an anagram.
'damsel' with letters rearranged gives 'MEDALS'.
'for' is the 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" .)