Crossword Genius

Beer half-heartedly provided for nipper (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

biter

'for nipper' is the definition.
(something which nips)

'beer half-heartedly' is the wordplay.
'beer' becomes 'bitter' (bitter is a type of beer).
'half' indicates taking half.
'heartedly' becomes 'er' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'bitter' with half the letters taken is 'bit'.
'bit'+'er'='BITER'

'provided' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for biter that I've seen before include "One may snap" , "One using teeth" , "Someone eating" , "Someone using their teeth" , "One cutting" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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