Boffin - smart, but hardly fair? (5)
I believe the answer is:
rainy
'hardly fair?' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'boffin smart' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'smart' could be 'in' (as in fashionable) and 'in' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ray' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'but' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rainy that I've seen before include "(Of weather) wet" , "Save your money for this damp day" , "Pluvial" , "The day one saves for" , "Wet, showery" .)