Is lacking compassion in backing those in deadlock (4)
I believe the answer is:
cold
'deadlock' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both states of affairs as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
I don't understand the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cold that I've seen before include "Unfriendly" , "Unemotional; infection" , "Mild viral infection, very common" , "Dead" , "made of stone" .)