Bound to keep article short (7)
I believe the answer is:
sparing
'short' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'bound to keep article' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'article' could be 'a' (the indefinite article in English) and 'a' is found in the answer.
'bound' could be 'spring' (synonyms) and 'spring' is found within the remaining letters.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sparing that I've seen before include "Scanty - merciful" , "mean" , "Thrifty" , "Moderate, economical" , "Economical; having mercy" .)