Swindle makes brief adjustment (5-6)
I believe the answer is:
short-change
'swindle' is the definition.
(I know that short-change is a more specific form of swindle)
'brief adjustment' is the wordplay.
'brief' becomes 'short' (similar in meaning).
'adjustment' becomes 'change' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'short'+'change'='SHORT-CHANGE'
'makes' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for short-change that I've seen before include "Give poor value" , "Cheat by returning insufficient money" , "Give back less than the correct amount" , "Give insufficient recompense" .)