Nothing less than a foray, which means fighting (4)
I believe the answer is:
fray
'fighting' is the definition.
(I know that fray is a type of fighting)
'nothing less than a foray which' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'a' is within the answer.
The remaining letters 'fry' 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).
'means' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for fray that I've seen before include "Wear away from rubbing" , "Rub off, unravel" , "Conflict; wear at edges" , "Wear away at the edges" , "Unravel; battle" .)