Animal about to get awful meal (5)
I believe the answer is:
camel
'animal' is the definition.
(I've seen this in other clues)
'about to get awful meal' is the wordplay.
'about' becomes 'c' (abbreviation for 'circa').
'to get' says to put letters next to each other.
'awful' indicates an anagram.
'meal' anagrammed gives 'amel'.
'c'+'amel'='CAMEL'
(Other definitions for camel that I've seen before include "Humped mammal" , "Saddle animal in desert regions" , "Humped ungulate" , "A ship, some say" , "Old WWI plane" .)