Quietly delayed finding item of crockery (5)
I believe the answer is:
plate
'item of crockery' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'quietly delayed' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'p' (p for piano and quiet).
'delayed' becomes 'late' (I've seen this before).
'p'+'late'='PLATE'
'finding' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for plate that I've seen before include "Flat dish for food" , "From which food is eaten or served" , "Shallow vessel" , "that batter will stand on" , "Thin sheet, as of glass" .)