Crossword Genius

Drink bottles beginning to affect party game (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

paintball

'game' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'drink bottles beginning to affect party' is the wordplay.
'drink' becomes 'pint' (pint is a unit of liquid volume).
'bottles' means one lot of letters goes inside another (bottle can mean to contain).
'beginning to' indicates taking the first letters.
'party' becomes 'ball' (ball is a kind of party).
The initial letter of 'affect' is 'a'.
'pint' enclosing 'a' is 'paint'.
'paint'+'ball'='PAINTBALL'

(Other definitions for paintball that I've seen before include "Missile used in war games" , "war game" , "messy game" , "simulated combat" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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