Eggheads returning smell a Russian flower (7)
I believe the answer is:
boffins
'eggheads' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being plural nouns.
Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?
'returning smell a russian flower' is the wordplay.
'returning' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'smell' becomes 'sniff' (sniff is a kind of smell).
'a russian flower' becomes 'ob' (Russian river - something that flows. I am not sure about the 'russian' bit.).
'sniff'+'ob'='sniffob'
'sniffob' reversed gives 'BOFFINS'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for boffins that I've seen is " Scientists".)