They get eaten up in the stratosphere (5)
I believe the answer is:
tarts
'they' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are plural nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'eaten up in the stratosphere' is the wordplay.
'TARTS' is hidden back-to-front within the letters.
But, I'm unsure how this is indicated.
'get' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tarts that I've seen before include "Flans" , "cooked food" , "Pastry cases with fillings" , "Broads" , "Small open pies" .)