Less than a clear idea of what the desert's like? (4)
I believe the answer is:
arid
'what the desert's like?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'less than a clear idea' is the wordplay.
'less' indicates a hidden word (the clue less some of the letters in it).
'ARID' is hidden within 'than clear idea'.
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for arid that I've seen before include "Very dry, having little rain" , "Dry and parched, as with regions" , "(Of land) very dry" , "(Of an area) very dry" , "Wadi may be this" .)