Lively old person tied up holds part of a chain? (5,2,1,5)
I believe the answer is:
fresh as a daisy
'lively' is the definition.
'old person tied up holds part of a chain?' is the wordplay.
'old person tied' becomes 'serf'.
'up' says the letters should be written backwards (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'holds' becomes 'has' ('have' can be a synonym of 'hold').
'part of a chain?' becomes 'adaisy'.
'serf' reversed gives 'fres'.
'fres'+'has'+'adaisy'='FRESH AS A DAISY'
(Other definitions for fresh as a daisy that I've seen before include "Bright, vigorous" , "Full of energy" , "Bright and ready to go" .)