Is in the past a bit short of a condiment (6)
I believe the answer is:
wasabi
'a condiment' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see an association between them that I don't see?
'is in the past a bit short' is the wordplay.
'is in the past' becomes 'was' (I've seen this before).
'short' means to remove the last letter.
'bit' with its last letter taken off is 'bi'.
'was'+'a'+'bi'='WASABI'
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for wasabi that I've seen before include "Pungent green paste used in Japanese cuisine" , "condiment? Japanese actually" , "Strong-tasting Japanese paste" , "Pungent green root used in Japanese cookery" , "Hollyhock" .)