Wretched lie-abeds let themselves down? (8)
I believe the answer is:
abseiled
'wretched lie-abeds let themselves down?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'wretched lie-abeds' is the wordplay.
'wretched' indicates an anagram.
'lie'+'abeds'='lieabeds'
'lieabeds' with letters rearranged gives 'ABSEILED'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for abseiled that I've seen before include "Descended rock face" , "Daringly dropped" , "descended using rope" , "Lowered oneself with a rope from a mountain" .)