Husband requiring a little practice (5)
I believe the answer is:
habit
'practice' is the definition.
(habit is a kind of practice)
'husband requiring a little' is the wordplay.
'husband' becomes 'h' (abbreviation).
'requiring' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'a little' becomes 'abit' (synonyms).
'h'+'abit'='HABIT'
(Other definitions for habit that I've seen before include "It's second nature" , "addictive practice" , "can cause addiction" , "Acquired pattern of behaviour" , "Monk's robe or repetitive action" .)