Crossword Genius

'Bottled in Devonshire', pub licences state (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

republic

'state' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'bottled in devonshire pub licences' is the wordplay.
'bottled in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'REPUBLIC' is hidden in the letters of 'devonshire pub licences'.

(Other definitions for republic that I've seen before include "Form of government without a monarch" , "Plato's ideal state" , "Commonwealth" , "Non-monarchical state" , "Cuba, say" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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