Novice leads expert in tie (4)
I believe the answer is:
lace
'tie' is the definition.
(lacing is a kind of tiing)
'novice leads expert' is the wordplay.
'novice' becomes 'l' (abbreviation for Learner e.g. on UK cars).
'leads' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'expert' becomes 'ace' (ace is a kind of expert).
'l'+'ace'='LACE'
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for lace that I've seen before include "Flimsy fabric or shoe fasterner" , "Famous play ''Arsenic and Old . . . .''" , "Do up (shoe, etc)" , "Fortify with spirits; open fabric" , "Fine decorative fabric" .)