Ties up but confuses the rest (7)
I believe the answer is:
tethers
'ties up' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'confuses the rest' is the wordplay.
'confuses' is an anagram indicator.
'the'+'rest'='therest'
'therest' is an anagram of 'TETHERS'.
'but' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for tethers that I've seen before include "moors" , "Ties up (horses)" , "Of animal, ties to prevent straying" , "Fastens" , "Restrains with a rope" .)