On the way, mother is liable to hold things up (4)
I believe the answer is:
mast
'liable to hold things up' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'on the way mother' is the wordplay.
'on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'the way' becomes 'st' (abbreviation for street).
'mother' becomes 'ma' (ma can mean mother).
'st' after 'ma' is 'MAST'.
'is' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for mast that I've seen before include "Tall pole from which flag is flown" , "One carries the sails of a ship" , "Acorns, etc., fed to pigs" , "nuts and seeds" , "Nautical pole" .)