Tattered at the edges (6)
I believe the answer is:
frayed
'tattered at the edges' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for frayed that I've seen before include "Worn at the edge" , "Ravelled at the edges" , "Became strained" , "Tattered along the edges" , "in rough condition" .)