Ordinary exercises sailor's managing (9)
I believe the answer is:
operating
'managing' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with social activities as well as being present participle verbs.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'ordinary exercises sailor's' is the wordplay.
'ordinary' becomes 'O' (abbreviation e.g. O-Levels).
'exercises' becomes 'pe' (Physical Education class).
'sailor' becomes 'rating' (British term for a naval enlisted man).
'o'+'pe'+'rating'='OPERATING'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for operating that I've seen before include "Functioning" , "(Of machine) running" , "Performing surgery" , "Directing or controlling, machinery say" , "at work" .)