Figure of speech in Homer apt to be misinterpreted (8)
I believe the answer is:
metaphor
'figure of speech' is the definition.
(metaphor is a kind of figure of speech)
'homer apt to be misinterpreted' is the wordplay.
'to be misinterpreted' indicates an anagram.
'homer'+'apt'='homerapt'
'homerapt' anagrammed gives 'METAPHOR'.
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for metaphor that I've seen before include "Figure of speech that directly indicates a likeness" , "Figure of speech - allegory" , "Figure of speech suggesting something really is what it resembles" , "Top harem is a figure of speech" , "7/16 [FIGURE OF SPEECH]" .)