Like the desert air, perhaps, at the back of beyond (4)
I believe the answer is:
arid
'like the desert' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'air perhaps at the back of beyond' is the wordplay.
'perhaps' indicates an anagram.
'at the back of' indicates one should take the final letters (I've seen 'at the back' mean this).
The final letter of 'beyond' is 'd'.
'air' is an anagram of 'ari'.
'ari'+'d'='ARID'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for arid that I've seen before include "(Of an area) very dry" , "Dry and withered" , "Parched, waterless" , "(Of climate) dry" , "Without much rainfall" .)