The basics see little ones swallowing ten cents (9)
I believe the answer is:
rudiments
'the basics' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'little ones swallowing ten cents' is the wordplay.
'little ones' becomes 'runts' (I've seen this in another clue).
'swallowing' is an insertion indicator.
'ten cents' becomes 'dime' (I've seen this before).
'runts' placed around 'dime' is 'RUDIMENTS'.
'see' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for rudiments that I've seen before include "basic principles" , "Basics of any subject" .)