Having the pearls, leaves high and dry? (7)
I believe the answer is:
strands
'having the pearls leaves high' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'and dry?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'strads' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for strands that I've seen before include "Threads, fibres" , "Leaves helpless on the sand" , "Maroons" , "Filaments" , "Strings or chains" .)