Spirits satisfied hopeless case (5)
I believe the answer is:
meths
'spirits' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are plural nouns, I don't see how one could define the other.
'satisfied hopeless case' is the wordplay.
'satisfied' becomes 'met' (as in 'met the conditions of his contract').
'case' suggests removing the centre.
'hopeless' with its middle taken out is 'hs'.
'met'+'hs'='METHS'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for meths that I've seen before include "unsuitable alcohol" , "Methylated spirits (colloq.)" , "Spirit" , "Fuel" , "Violet-coloured alcohol" .)