Gung-ho

ARDENT

["Hint: \"Full of fiery enthusiasm, like a devoted fan.\"\n\nThis hint suggests the intensity and passion associated with \"ardent\" while avoiding the direct phrasing of the original clue. It guides the solver toward the emotional tone of the word without giving it away."]

The clue "Gung-ho" leads to the answer "ARDENT" through a straightforward synonym connection. "Gung-ho" is an informal term that means extremely enthusiastic or zealous. Similarly, "ardent" is a formal adjective that means passionate, enthusiastic, or zealous. Therefore, the clue "Gung-ho" directly defines the answer "ARDENT" by their shared meaning of showing great enthusiasm or zeal. There is no specific wordplay, pun, or cultural reference involved in this clue-answer pair; it is a direct synonym definition.