Colonialist spinning hoops lost scrap (9)
I believe the answer is:
scintilla
'scrap' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for scintilla that I've seen before include "scrap!" , "Minute spark" , "Tiny trace or amount" , "flash" , "littlest bit" .)