Stock English joke (5)
I believe the answer is:
equip
'stock' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'english joke' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'joke' becomes 'quip' (quipping is a kind of joking).
'e'+'quip'='EQUIP'
(Other definitions for equip that I've seen before include "Provide with items (for particular task)" , "Arm" , "Supply with what is needed" , "Supply tools" , "Provide with stock" .)