Failing to start clipping trial (7)
I believe the answer is:
hearing
'trial' is the definition.
(as in a court hearing)
'failing to start clipping' is the wordplay.
'failing to start' means to remove the first letter.
'clipping' becomes 'shearing' (shearing is a kind of clipping).
'shearing' with its initial letter taken away is 'HEARING'.
(Other definitions for hearing that I've seen before include "Audition - trial" , "Trying" , "Earshot; trial" , "Legal process" , "court case" .)