Seaman found in the cellar (4)
I believe the answer is:
salt
'seaman' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'the cellar' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'sal' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'found in' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for salt that I've seen before include "Seasoned sailor" , "A defence against ice" , "Wit; sodium chloride" , "Mariner; sodium chloride" , "Condiment - experienced sailor" .)