Graduate with spear and scales (7)
I believe the answer is:
balance
'scales' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'graduate with spear' is the wordplay.
'graduate' becomes 'BA' (someone with a Bachelor of Arts degree).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'spear' becomes 'lance' (synonyms).
'ba'+'lance'='BALANCE'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for balance that I've seen before include "Equilibrium or steady position" , "emotional stability" , "Equipoise" , "Weighing device" , "Cab lane (anag)" .)