They may be strung up by the neck (5)
I believe the answer is:
beads
'the neck' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'they may be strung up' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'be' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ads' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'by' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for beads that I've seen before include "Small balls for threading on string" , "Small balls with holes through the middle" .)