Small creature biting quiet vet (7)
I believe the answer is:
inspect
'vet' is the definition.
(inspect can mean to vet or check)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for inspect that I've seen before include "test" , "vet" , "Study" , "Look critically at" , "Ecamine closely" .)