Idiot guards empty space, which people are in until they come out? (6)
I believe the answer is:
closet
'idiot guards empty space which people are in until they come out?' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't see how one could define the other.
'idiot guards empty space' is the wordplay.
'idiot' becomes 'clot' (both can mean a stupid person).
'guards' means one lot of letters goes inside another (inserted letters are guarded).
'empty' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters).
'space' with its centre taken out is 'se'.
'clot' going around 'se' is 'CLOSET'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for closet that I've seen before include "North American cupboard" , "A small room - best to come out of it" , "Covert" , "Wardrobe in the US" , "Small room or cabinet for storage" .)