Pass round combs in exchange (9)
I believe the answer is:
discourse
'exchange' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'pass round combs' is the wordplay.
'pass' becomes 'die' (as in passing away).
'round' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'combs' becomes 'scours' (I've seen this in another clue).
'die' enclosing 'scours' is 'DISCOURSE'.
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for discourse that I've seen before include "Formal discussion of a topic" , "Conversation, dialogue" , "(Formal) talk" , "Communication verbally" , "verbal communication" .)