Inspire friend from time to time (12)

I believe the answer is:

occasionally

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'time to time' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'inspire friend' is the wordplay.
'inspire' becomes 'occasion' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'friend' becomes 'ally' (an ally is a friend or supporter).
'occasion'+'ally'='OCCASIONALLY'

'from' acts as a link.

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(Other definitions for occasionally that I've seen before include "Sometimes" , "At times" , "every now and then" , "From time to time" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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