Sue - pert after straight text (9)
I believe the answer is:
prosecute
'sue' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'pert after straight text' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'text' could be 'prose' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'prose' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'cute' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for prosecute that I've seen before include "Bring before a criminal court" , "Bring a criminal action against" , "Carry out assessment" , "Practise" , "Take legal action" .)