Possible Clues:

• Part of navy in gunship in pursuit of victory
• Trying to do better than Violet, say, with gin sling
• Competing (with others)
• Being jealous but losing cockney female and striving for superiority
• On the way out, not dead but very competitive
• It's splendid about the feminine element being in competition
• Competing from envy in games
• The ivy starts to be contending here
• *Struggling
• In the running