Crossword Genius

Charge political party with excluding leader - it may bring conflict (3,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

war dance

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'it may bring conflict' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'charge political party with excluding leader' is the wordplay.
'charge' becomes 'ward' (both can mean a child in one's care).
'political party' becomes 'ANC' (African National Congress, South African party).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'leader' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'excluding' is 'e'.
'ward'+'anc'+'e'='WAR-DANCE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for war dance that I've seen before include "Pre-battle ceremony" , "Tribal ceremony before battle" , "steps taken before engagement" , "moves anticipating conflict?" , "Steps taken by fighters" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.