Use stopwatch on little tablets, then put them away for a long time (4,8)

'use stopwatch on little tablets then put them away for a long time' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'use stopwatch on little tablets then put them away for a long time' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'little' could be 'l' (abbreviation for little) and 'l' is present in the answer.
an anagram of 'use' is 'sue' which is present in the remaining letters.
'away' could be 'a' (abbreviation as used in sports fixtures) and 'a' is found within the answer.
'time' could be 't' (abbreviation) and 't' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?