Being tipsy, lapse into sin in my embrace (5)
I believe the answer is:
merry
'being tipsy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'sin in my embrace' is the wordplay.
'sin in' becomes 'err' (to sin is to err morally. I am not sure about the 'in' bit.).
'embrace' indicates putting letters inside.
'err' placed within 'my' is 'MERRY'.
'lapse into' is the link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for merry that I've seen before include "Jolly and gay" , "Convivial" , "Mistresses Page and Ford of Windsor" , "Seasons 24" , "Jolly and bright" .)