Convict noted smell around valley is getting better (12)
I believe the answer is:
convalescent
'is getting better' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'convict noted smell around valley' is the wordplay.
'convict' becomes 'con' (abbreviation e.g. 'ex-con').
'noted smell' becomes 'scent' (scenting is a kind of smelling. I am not sure about the 'noted' bit.).
'around' indicates putting letters inside.
'valley' becomes 'vale' (synonyms).
'con'+'scent'='conscent'
'conscent' placed around 'vale' is 'CONVALESCENT'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for convalescent that I've seen before include "getting back to normal" , "(Person) getting better" , "One who's recovering" , "One recovering from medical treatment" , "Recuperating" .)