Scraps upset a man in tears
I believe the answer is:
remnants
'scraps' is the definition.
('remnant' can be a synonym of 'scrap')
'upset a man in tears' is the wordplay.
'upset' indicates anagramming the letters.
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'tears' becomes 'rents' (rent is a kind of tear).
'man' with letters rearranged gives 'mna'.
'mna' inserted inside 'rents' is 'REMNANTS'.
(Other definitions for remnants that I've seen before include "hangovers" , "Bits left over" , "Stern man has left-over pieces" , "Leftovers, scraps" , "Pieces at the end of rolls of fabric" .)