They happened to get the flat way back (6)
I believe the answer is:
events
'they happened to get the' is the definition.
The definition suggests an adverb but the answer is not.
'flat way back' is the wordplay.
'flat' becomes 'even' (similar in meaning).
'way' becomes 'st'.
'back' says the letters should be written backwards.
'st' backwards is 'ts'.
'even'+'ts'='EVENTS'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for events that I've seen before include "Things that happen" , "They take place" , "matters" , "Important happenings or incidents" , "Horse-riding competitions" .)