Strands thespian without air conditioning (5)
I believe the answer is:
tress
'strands thespian without air conditioning' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'thespian without air conditioning' is the wordplay.
'thespian' becomes 'actress' (actress is a kind of thespian).
'without' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'air conditioning' becomes 'AC'.
'actress' with 'ac' taken away is 'TRESS'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tress that I've seen before include "Braid of hair" , "Long piece of hair" , "Bit of hair" , "Obsolete support" , "Rests (anag.)" .)