the return of a record, being awfully thin (6)
I believe the answer is:
plinth
'the' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'return of a record being awfully thin' is the wordplay.
'return of' says the letters should be written backwards.
'a record' becomes 'LP' (abbreviation for long play record).
'being awfully' indicates anagramming the letters.
'lp' in reverse letter order is 'pl'.
'thin' with letters rearranged gives 'inth'.
'pl'+'inth'='PLINTH'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for plinth that I've seen before include "Pedestal for a statue" , "Base supporting a statue" , "Base for, eg, statue" , "Block forming base of column or statue" , "Heavy base of a statue" .)