It’s tough out East, we’ve been told (5)
I believe the answer is:
heard
'east we've been told' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'it's tough out' is the wordplay.
'it' becomes 'e' ('e' can mean 'electronic' which is similar to 'IT').
'tough' becomes 'hard' ('hard' is associated in meaning with 'tough').
'out' indicates putting letters inside.
'e' inserted within 'hard' is 'HEARD'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for heard that I've seen before include "Traditional children shouldn't be" , "Was told of" , "Got to know (of)" , "Caught - picked up" , "Attended to" .)