Trying hard to bind half a dozen with cord (8)
I believe the answer is:
striving
'trying hard' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'bind half a dozen with cord' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'half a dozen' could be 'vi' (synonyms) and 'vi' is found in the answer.
'cord' could be 'string' (string is a kind of cord) and 'string' is found within the leftover letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for striving that I've seen before include "Making strenuous efforts" , "Making great efforts" .)