Was inclined to have meagre time (5)
I believe the answer is:
leant
'was inclined' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'meagre time' is the wordplay.
'meagre' becomes 'lean' (I've seen this before).
'time' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'lean'+'t'='LEANT'
'to have' is the link.
(Other definitions for leant that I've seen before include "Had tendency" , "Tilted" , "bent over" , "Inclined (towards)" , "Rested sideways (on something)" .)