Crossword Genius

Puts on tense fight like a starry-eyed player? (5-6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stage-struck

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'fight like a starry-eyed player?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'puts on tense' is the wordplay.
'puts on' becomes 'stages' (I've seen this before).
'tense' becomes 'truck' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'stages'+'truck'='STAGE-STRUCK'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for stage-struck that I've seen before include "Passionate about acting" , "Passionately wanting to be an actor" , "Mad about acting" , "Madly keen to be an actor" , "Infatuated with desire to act" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.