In the North, anything upset yank (3)
I believe the answer is:
tow
'upset yank' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both acts as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'in the north anything' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ow' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tow that I've seen before include "Pull using cable" , "Pull (with rope)" , "Pull along behind, say barge" , "Drag along behind, say barge" , "Pull away" .)