Hand, honest and level (8,5)
I believe the answer is:
straight flush
'hand' is the definition.
(type of poker hand)
'honest and level' is the wordplay.
'honest' becomes 'straight' ('straight' can be similar in meaning to 'honest').
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'level' becomes 'flush' (I've seen this before).
'straight'+'flush'='STRAIGHT FLUSH'
(Other definitions for straight flush that I've seen before include "Powerful hand at poker" , "In poker, five consecutive cards of the same suit" , "(In poker) five cards of the same suit in numerical sequence" , "player's hand - with 2d" , "Gambler's hand that should win" .)