Nation that’s initially angry over hill and dale? (5-7)
I believe the answer is:
cross-country
'hill and dale?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'nation that's initially angry' is the wordplay.
'nation' becomes 'country' (synonyms).
'that's initially' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'angry' becomes 'cross' (cross can mean annoyed or angry).
'country' after 'cross' is 'CROSS-COUNTRY'.
'over' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cross-country that I've seen before include "Rural running event" , "Running sport" .)