Was model with half a thought about advancement made fun of? (9)
I believe the answer is:
satirised
'made fun of?' is the definition.
(to satirise is to make fun of or mock)
'was model with half a' is the wordplay.
'was model' becomes 'sat' (to sit is to model for a painting).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'half a' becomes 'irised' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'sat'+'irised'='SATIRISED'
'thought about advancement' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for satirised that I've seen before include "Held up to ridicule" , "Lampooned" .)