Help, credit squeeze is on the nose! (5)
I believe the answer is:
acrid
'on the nose' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?
'help credit squeeze' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'credit' could be 'cr' (abbreviation) and 'cr' is present in the answer.
'help' could be 'aid' (synonyms) and 'aid' is located in the leftover letters.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'is' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for acrid that I've seen before include "Bitter - pungent" , "Nastily pungent" , "Bitter - caustic" , "Sharp-smelling like smoke" , "Strong and sharp" .)