Crossword Genius

Drop out of a can? (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

oil

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'drop out' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?

'of a can?' is the wordplay.
'of' becomes 'o''.
'a can?' becomes 'il' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'o'+'il'='OIL'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for oil that I've seen before include "painting" , "What can be extracted" , "Slippery liquid" , "Viscous substance as lubricant" , "Crude" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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