Mean people hide strikers once (10)
I believe the answer is:
skinflints
'mean people' is the definition.
(mean or miserly people)
'hide strikers once' is the wordplay.
'hide' becomes 'skin' (a hide is an animal skin).
'strikers once' becomes 'flints' (cavemen used flints to light fires).
'skin'+'flints'='SKINFLINTS'
(Other definitions for skinflints that I've seen before include "near people" , "Cheapskates" , "Near ones" .)