Priest managed to show liveliness and wit (6)
I believe the answer is:
esprit
'wit' is the definition.
(esprit can mean being witty)
'priest managed' is the wordplay.
'managed' indicates an anagram.
'priest' with letters rearranged gives 'ESPRIT'.
'to show liveliness and' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for esprit that I've seen before include "Liveliness of mind or spirit" , "Vivaciousness" , "French morale as in de corps?" , "What good corps needs" , "Liveliness - priest (anag)" .)