Hide writing table belonging to old dons (7)
I believe the answer is:
doeskin
'hide' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'table belonging to old dons' is the wordplay.
'table' becomes 'desk' (desk is a kind of table).
'belonging to' becomes 'in' (I've seen this in other clues).
'old' becomes 'o' (abbreviation).
'dons' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters wear or 'don' others).
'desk'+'in'='deskin'
'deskin' going around 'o' is 'DOESKIN'.
'writing' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for doeskin that I've seen before include "Type of leather" , "Leather from deer" , "glove material" .)