Bolt a plate while it's hot (5)
I believe the answer is:
rivet
'bolt' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a plate while it's hot' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'it' could be 't' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis) and 't' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'rive' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rivet that I've seen before include "Metal pin; engross" , "Short metal fastener" , "Engross attention" , "Fasten -- engross" , "Fascinate" .)