Crossword Genius

Disconcert painter, non-drinker, extremely likable (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rattle

'disconcert' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'painter non-drinker extremely likable' is the wordplay.
'painter' becomes 'ra'.
'non drinker' becomes 'tt' (Teetotaller abbreviation).
'extremely' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters).
'likable' with its middle taken out is 'le'.
'ra'+'tt'+'le'='RATTLE'

(Other definitions for rattle that I've seen before include "Let rat make the sound" , "Noisy toy and snake" , "Venomous creature's warning" , "Child's toy; unsettle" , "Make nervous; child's toy" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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