Sailor teasing nets out (6)
I believe the answer is:
absent
'out' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'sailor teasing nets' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'sailor' could be 'ab' (abbreviation for able seaman) and 'ab' is present in the answer.
an anagram of 'nets' is 'sent' which is located 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 absent that I've seen before include "lack of attention" , "nowhere to be seen" , "Not at a specified place" , "Forgetful, with mind on other things" , "Missing or dreamy" .)