They hang out in the sun: oily, topless, and beginning to sweat (7)
I believe the answer is:
awnings
'they' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are plural nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'hang out in the sun oily topless and beginning to sweat' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'in' is within the answer.
'sun' could be 's' (abbreviation) and 's' is found within the answer.
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for awnings that I've seen is " Canopies for shelter".)