Maintains fashionable sisters ... queen leaves (7)
I believe the answer is:
insists
'maintains' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both to do with communicating as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'fashionable sisters queen leaves' is the wordplay.
'fashionable' becomes 'in' (similar in meaning).
'queen' becomes 'ER' (abbreviation for Elizabeth Regina).
'leaves' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'sisters' with 'er' taken away is 'sists'.
'in'+'sists'='INSISTS'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for insists that I've seen before include "Contends" , "Demands firmly, not accepting refusal" , "Maintains firmly" , "Maintains persistently" , "Brooks no refusal" .)