It could be in pride, of course (4)
I believe the answer is:
lion
'it could be' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'pride of course' is the wordplay.
'pride' becomes 'li' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'of' becomes 'o''.
'course' becomes 'n'.
'li'+'o'+'n'='LION'
'in' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lion that I've seen before include "British RU cap" , "Buddhist scripture; Sanskrit rule" , "Large predatory feline" , "Carnivore" , "Sought after celebrity (showing great strength and courage?)" .)