Grating, where scattering of dirt sent (8)
I believe the answer is:
strident
'grating' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'scattering of dirt sent' is the wordplay.
'scattering of' indicates an anagram (I've seen this in other clues).
'dirt'+'sent'='dirtsent'
'dirtsent' anagrammed gives 'STRIDENT'.
'where' is the link.
(Other definitions for strident that I've seen before include "harsh noise" , "Unpleasantly rough" , "Loudly assertive" , "Raucous" , "Offensively loud and harsh" .)