Crossword Genius

Nervous of attack by a force (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

afraid

'nervous' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'attack by a force' is the wordplay.
'attack' becomes 'raid' (raiding is a kind of attacking).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'force' becomes 'F' (symbol used in Physics e.g. f=ma).
'a'+'f'='af'
'raid' put after 'af' is 'AFRAID'.

'of' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for afraid that I've seen before include "Nervous" , "Alarmed, fearful" , "Frightened" , "with butterflies" , "Scared - politely regretful" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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