Material effect sun had on sailor (6)
I believe the answer is:
tartan
'material' is the definition.
(I know that tartan is a type of material)
'effect sun had on sailor' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'sun' could be 'tan' (both can mean to get a sun tan) and 'tan' is found in the answer.
'sailor' could be 'tar' (slang term for a sailor) and 'tar' is found in the answer.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tartan that I've seen before include "(Fabric with) distinctive checked pattern" , "Scots plaid" , "Scottish plaid design" , "chequered cloth" , "Woollen fabric with plaid design" .)