Dresses too little for what they cover (12)
I believe the answer is:
underclothes
'they cover' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'dresses too little for' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'dresses' could be 'clothes' ('clothe' can be a synonym of 'dress') and 'clothes' is present in the answer.
'too little' could be 'under' (under a desired amount) and 'under' is located in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'what' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for underclothes that I've seen before include "Items worn next to the skin" , "Vests etc" , "junior counsel, at first unwilling to accept points" , "Garments worn next to the skin" .)