Short letters from Battersea (5)
I believe the answer is:
terse
'short' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'letters from battersea' is the wordplay.
'letters from' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (a selection of letters from the clue).
'TERSE' is hidden in the letters of 'battersea'.
(Other definitions for terse that I've seen before include "Sparing with words; abrupt" , "Compact" , "Succinct about trees" , "Brief and to the point" , "Of speech, short and pithy" .)