Sluggish individual letting down society - they're hammered (5)
I believe the answer is:
nails
'they're hammered' is the definition.
(nails are hammered)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for nails that I've seen before include "Metal spikes" , "Fixing spikes" , "Fixes" , "Slain with metal pins" , "Claws" .)