Shabby-sounding carriage? (4)
I believe the answer is:
mien
'carriage?' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'shabby-sounding' is the wordplay.
'shabby' becomes 'mean' (both can mean unkind or unfair).
'sounding' shows a homophone (sound like).
'mean' sounds like 'MIEN'.
(Other definitions for mien that I've seen before include "Bearing, demeanour" , "Appearance, bearing" , "Facial expression sounds miserly" , "person's look" , "aspect" .)