It sheathes the sword of the wordsmith who works while others strike (8)
I believe the answer is:
scabbard
'it sheathes the sword of' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'wordsmith who works while others strike' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'wordsmith' could be 'bard' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'bard' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'scab' 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).
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for scabbard that I've seen before include "Sword holder" , "You may see one holding a dagger" , "foil cover?" , "Weapon held here" , "It keeps food off clothes" .)