Item for saving lion and tiger, say, that's not working (8)
I believe the answer is:
lifeline
'tiger say that's not working' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'item for saving lion' is the wordplay.
'item' becomes 'line item' (line item is a kind of item).
'for' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (I've seen this in other clues).
'saving lion' becomes 'life' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'line' after 'life' is 'LIFELINE'.
'and' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for lifeline that I've seen before include "Vital support?" , "Essential means of support" , "vital means of communication" , "vital bond" , "Means of escape" .)