Crossword Genius

Satisfied story is missing a show of courage (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mettle

'show of courage' is the definition.
(mettle means courage or spirit)

'satisfied story is missing a' is the wordplay.
'satisfied' becomes 'met' (as in 'met the conditions of his contract').
'story' becomes 'tale' (synonyms).
'is missing' is a deletion indicator.
'tale' with 'a' taken out is 'tle'.
'met'+'tle'='METTLE'

(Other definitions for mettle that I've seen before include "Spirit, resilience" , "Temperament; courage" , "Courage sounds like iron, for instance" , "boldness" , "Pluck" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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