Speak well of the wild ape, sir (6)
I believe the answer is:
praise
'speak well of' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'wild ape sir' is the wordplay.
'wild' is an anagram indicator.
'ape'+'sir'='apesir'
'apesir' with letters rearranged gives 'PRAISE'.
'the' is the link.
(Other definitions for praise that I've seen before include "Kudos, pat on the back" , "Speak well of" , "Express warm approval of (someone/something)" , "Acclaim, commend" , "Extol, glorify" .)