Old patent getting Hello in a bad place (4,3,4)
I believe the answer is:
over-the-hill
'old' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'patent getting hello in a bad place' is the wordplay.
'patent' becomes 'overt' (both can mean obvious).
'getting' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'hello' becomes 'hi' (synonyms).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'a bad place' becomes 'hell' (I have seen 'Infernal place' mean 'hell' so perhaps 'place' could also mean 'hell'. I am not sure about the 'bad' bit.).
'hi' placed within 'hell' is 'hehill'.
'overt'+'hehill'='OVER-THE-HILL'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for over-the-hill that I've seen before include "No longer at ones' best" , "Past one's best" , "Elderly" .)