Defeated by the elements? (7-6)
I believe the answer is:
weather-beaten
'defeated by' is the definition.
The answer and definition are not the same part of speech. However, adjectives and past participle verbs sometimes mean the same thing.
'elements?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'elements?' could be 'weather' (synonyms) and 'weather' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'beaten' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for weather-beaten that I've seen before include "Worn by the elements" , "Rugged" , "Damaged by storms, etc" , "Showing signs of exposure to the elements" , "Tanned by sun and wind" .)