Writer grabbing hold of engineers in Pride (5)
I believe the answer is:
preen
'pride' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'writer grabbing hold of engineers' is the wordplay.
'writer' becomes 'pen' (something which writes).
'grabbing hold of' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are grabbed).
'engineers' becomes 're' (abbreviation for Royal Engineers).
'pen' going around 're' is 'PREEN'.
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for preen that I've seen before include "Groom with elaborate care" , "demonstrate pride" , "Vainly groom oneself" , "to give himself a pat on the back" , "Groom (oneself) with evident vanity" .)