British individual absorbing variable tan (6)
I believe the answer is:
bronze
'tan' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'british individual absorbing variable' is the wordplay.
'british' becomes 'br' (abbreviation for British).
'individual' becomes 'one' (an individual is one person).
'absorbing' indicates putting letters inside.
'variable' becomes 'z' (algebra).
'one' placed around 'z' is 'onze'.
'br'+'onze'='BRONZE'
(Other definitions for bronze that I've seen before include "Copper and tin alloy - sculpture" , "Hard alloy suitable for casting" , "Popular alloy for sculptures" , "Third place - alloy" , "Tan; metal alloy" .)