Holding back eighth item to be auctioned? (4)
I believe the answer is:
loth
'holding back eighth' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'item to be auctioned?' is the wordplay.
'item' becomes 'lot' (I've seen this before).
'to be auctioned?' becomes 'h' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'lot'+'h'='LOTH'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for loth that I've seen before include "Not keen" , "Reluctant, unwilling" , "Unwilling to obey" , "Reluctant or disinclined" , "Reluctant or averse" .)