Dig ground initially bare? (5)
I believe the answer is:
nudge
'dig' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for nudge that I've seen before include "Jostle" , "Gentle poke with elbow" , "Prod gently with elbow" , "Gentle prod" , "Jogger" .)