Crossword Genius

Dance interrupted by copper throwing back liqueur (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sambuca

'liqueur' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Italian liqueur ' mean 'sambuca' so perhaps 'liqueur' could also mean 'sambuca')

'dance interrupted by copper throwing back' is the wordplay.
'dance' becomes 'samba' (Brazilian dance).
'interrupted by' indicates putting letters inside.
'copper' becomes 'Cu' (Cu is the chemical symbol for copper).
'throwing back' is a reversal indicator.
'cu' written backwards gives 'uc'.
'samba' placed around 'uc' is 'SAMBUCA'.

(Other definitions for sambuca that I've seen before include "strong drink" , "Aniseed liqueur" , "Italian liqueur flavoured with liquorice" , "Liquorice-flavoured liqueur" , "Maybe a shot" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.