Crossword Genius

Tense thug cutting unionist up gate-crashes do up north (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tighten

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'tense' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

I can't explain the remainder of the clue.

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(Other definitions for tighten that I've seen before include "Make more restrictive" , "Apply increased tension or security" , "get tense" , "Stiffen" , "becoming tense" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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