Answer clear — and dry (4)
I believe the answer is:
arid
'dry' is the definition.
('arid' can be similar in meaning to 'dry')
'answer clear' is the wordplay.
'answer' becomes 'a' (abbreviation eg in Q and A).
'clear' becomes 'rid' ('rid' can be a synonym of 'clear'**).
'a'+'rid'='ARID'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for arid that I've seen before include "Dry and infertile" , "Dry raid" , "Rainless (region)" , "Dry and barren" , "Dry, devoid of interest" .)