Stride, holding universal jeweller's aid (5)
I believe the answer is:
loupe
'jeweller's aid' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'stride holding universal' is the wordplay.
'stride' becomes 'lope' (I've seen this before).
'holding' indicates putting letters inside.
'universal' becomes 'u'.
'lope' placed around 'u' is 'LOUPE'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for loupe that I've seen before include "Jeweller's eyeglass" , "instrument in view of fine work" , "Jeweller's eyepiece" , "Jeweller's magnifying glass" .)