Twist as priest featuring in Hard Times (5)
I believe the answer is:
helix
'twist' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'priest featuring in hard times' is the wordplay.
'priest' becomes 'eli' (biblical figure).
'featuring in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'times' becomes 'x' (multiplication sign).
'h'+'x'='hx'
'eli' going inside 'hx' is 'HELIX'.
'as' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for helix that I've seen before include "Three-dimensional object shaped like a corkscrew" , "that goes round and round and up and down" , "Screwed coil" , "Object with a three-dimensional shape, like a corkscrew" , "Spiral (maybe double)" .)