Free barring latest show of aggression (5-8)
I believe the answer is:
sabre rattling
'free barring latest show of aggression' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'free barring latest' is the wordplay.
'free' indicates an anagram.
'barring'+'latest'='barringlatest'
'barringlatest' with letters rearranged gives 'SABRE-RATTLING'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sabre rattling that I've seen before include "by jingo!" , "Aggressive display of military power" , "Threatening force" , "display of aggression" , "Aggressive display of military force" .)