Was told it was tough out East (5)
I believe the answer is:
heard
'was told it' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'tough out east' is the wordplay.
'tough' becomes 'hard' (similar in meaning).
'out' is an insertion indicator.
'east' becomes 'e' (synonyms).
'hard' going around 'e' is 'HEARD'.
'was' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for heard that I've seen before include "Gathered" , "Attended to" , "Traditional children shouldn't be" , "Perceived by the ear" , "Gave ear to" .)