Early on, I turn up bottle-opener to uncap dry tonic (9)
I believe the answer is:
embryonic
'early' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'on i turn up bottle-opener to uncap dry tonic' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'on' is found in the answer.
'i' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for embryonic that I've seen before include "In a rudimentary stage" , "in its earliest stages" , "In early stage of development" , "In the early stages of development" .)