Specifies items one's holding as well as article by empty safe (5)
I believe the answer is:
these
'specifies items one's holding as well' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I cannot tell whether it can be defined by this definition.
'article by empty safe' is the wordplay.
'article' becomes 'the' (the definite article).
'by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'safe' with its middle taken out is 'se'.
'the'+'se'='THESE'
'as' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for these that I've seen before include "This lot" , "Teh other ones from those" , "Pronoun for people or things" , "See 13" , "The persons or things here" .)