Dined at home, most economical (7)
I believe the answer is:
neatest
'most economical' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are superlative adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'dined at home' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'dined' could be 'ate' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'ate' is found in the answer.
'home' could be 'nest' (a bird's home) and 'nest' is found within the remaining letters.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for neatest that I've seen before include "Most orderly" , "Most tidy" , "Most smart" , "Seat ten (anag)" , "best-looking desk, say?" .)