Scoundrel’s behind pretentious talk in clip (7)
I believe the answer is:
bulldog
'clip' is the definition.
(bulldog clip is a kind of clip)
'scoundrel's behind pretentious talk' is the wordplay.
'scoundrel' becomes 'dog' (dog is a kind of scoundrel).
'behind' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'pretentious talk' becomes 'bull' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'dog' after 'bull' is 'BULLDOG'.
'in' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bulldog that I've seen before include "Animal symbolising Britain" , "Sturdy animal" , "found at the end of a lead" , "Canine breed noted for courage" , "Iconic English canine" .)