Is neither brought back in chains? (5)
I believe the answer is:
irons
'chains?' is the definition.
('iron' can be a synonym of 'chain')
'is neither brought back in' is the wordplay.
'neither' becomes 'nor' (eg in the phrase 'neither do I').
'brought back' says the letters should be written backwards.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'nor' back-to-front is 'ron'.
'is' placed around 'ron' is 'IRONS'.
(Other definitions for irons that I've seen before include "sporting equipment" , "Smooths clothes" , "cuffs" , "Smooths the golfclubs?" , "Prepares clothes" .)