It takes a blow to make the little devil work! (6)

I believe the answer is:

impact

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'it takes a blow to make' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'little devil work' is the wordplay.
'little devil' becomes 'imp' (I've seen this before).
'work' becomes 'act' (synonyms).
'imp'+'act'='IMPACT'

'the' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for impact that I've seen before include "Collision - effect" , "Marked effect or influence" , "Bear upon" , "hit, in a big way" , "Force of colllision or blow" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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