Male friend scratching head is confused (5)
I believe the answer is:
muddy
'is confused' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'male friend scratching head' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'friend' becomes 'buddy' (buddy is a kind of friend).
'scratching head' means to remove the first letter.
'buddy' with its first letter removed is 'uddy'.
'm'+'uddy'='MUDDY'
(Other definitions for muddy that I've seen before include "Bespattered" , "Covered in mire" , "Slimy" , "Mucky, marshy" , "Not bright or clear" .)