Crossword Genius

A good score, I see, can be stimulating (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tonic

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'be stimulating' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'a good score i see' is the wordplay.
'a good score' becomes 'ton' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'see' becomes 'C' (the word for the letter, according to Chambers).
'ton'+'i'+'c'='TONIC'

'can' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tonic that I've seen before include "Carbonated mixer" , "An enlivener" , "requirement for invigoration?" , "Invigorating medicine - keynote" , "It goes with gin" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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