They join hands, initially in silence (6)
I believe the answer is:
wrists
'they' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are plural nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'join hands initially in silence' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'initially' could be 'ist' (ist resembles 1st) and 'ist' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for wrists that I've seen before include "Hand joints" , "Arm joints" .)