Poor hen, somehow, one bound to fail (2-5)
I believe the answer is:
no-hoper
'one bound to fail' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'poor hen somehow' is the wordplay.
'somehow' is an anagram indicator.
'poor'+'hen'='poorhen'
'poorhen' with letters rearranged gives 'NO-HOPER'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for no-hoper that I've seen before include "Lost cause" , "Or phone (anag.)" , "One with little prospect of success" , "Person expected to fail" , "One with little chance of success?" .)