Mostly put off about time in situ once abandoned (9)
I believe the answer is:
destitute
'abandoned' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'mostly put off about time in situ' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'time' could be 'est' (EST is an example) and 'est' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'once' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for destitute that I've seen before include "Extremely poor" , "In utter want" , "Impoverished, indigent" , "Absolutely broke, without money or goods" , "Penniless, without the necessities of life" .)