Small bits of shirt showing signs of wear (6)
I believe the answer is:
scuffs
'signs of wear' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'small bits of shirt' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'bits of shirt' becomes 'cuffs' (shirt cuffs).
's'+'cuffs'='SCUFFS'
'showing' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for scuffs that I've seen before include "Scrapes shoes while walking" , "Grazes" .)