Crossword Genius

English menagerie in hostelry returned for revelry

Ross

I believe the answer is:

booze-up

'revelry' is the definition.
(booze-up is a kind of revelry)

'english menagerie in hostelry returned' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'menagerie' becomes 'zoo' ('zoo' can be a synonym of 'menagerie').
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'hostelry' becomes 'pub' (I've seen this before).
'returned' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'e'+'zoo'='ezoo'
'ezoo' placed into 'pub' is 'puezoob'.
'puezoob' in reverse letter order is 'BOOZE-UP'.

'for' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for booze-up that I've seen before include "Heavy drinking session" , "Bout of serious drinking" , "Drinking spree" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.