Humble fellow's scraps of tripe and onions (4)

I believe the answer is:

peon

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'humble fellow's scraps' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't understand how one could define the other.

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for peon that I've seen before include "Latin American farm labourer" , "Spanish-American menial worker" , "Spanish-American farm worker" , "lowly farm worker" , "A Mexican peasant or labourer" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.