Torment and carry threat (7)
I believe the answer is:
bugbear
'threat' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
'torment and carry' is the wordplay.
'torment' becomes 'bug' (bugging is a kind of tormenting).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'carry' becomes 'bear' (synonyms).
'bug'+'bear'='BUGBEAR'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bugbear that I've seen before include "something really frightful" , "[BOGYMAN]" , "Cause of annoyance, fear" , "something terrible" , "One's special fear" .)