Sturdy lot with not much up top (8)
I believe the answer is:
thickset
'sturdy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'lot with not much up top' is the wordplay.
'lot' becomes 'set' (synonyms).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'not much up top' becomes 'thick' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'set' put after 'thick' is 'THICKSET'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for thickset that I've seen before include "squat" , "sturdy" , "Brawny" , "Strapping" , "Solidly built; growing close together" .)