Thick-skinned individual left during fight with America (6)
I believe the answer is:
walrus
'thick-skinned individual' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I cannot understand how one could define the other.
'left during fight with america' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'during' indicates putting letters inside.
'fight with' becomes 'war' (warring is a kind of fighting. I am not sure about the 'with' bit.).
'america' becomes 'US' (United States).
'l' going within 'war' is 'walr'.
'walr'+'us'='WALRUS'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for walrus that I've seen before include "Sea mammal, the morse" , "Marine mammal with two long tusks" , "Arctic dwellers" , "Carpenter's companion?" , "'The time has come', the . . . said" .)