Expel drunk ale, in time (9)
I believe the answer is:
eliminate
'expel' is the definition.
(I know that eliminate is a kind of expel)
'drunk ale in time' is the wordplay.
'drunk' is an anagram indicator.
'ale'+'in'+'time'='aleintime'
'aleintime' with letters rearranged gives 'ELIMINATE'.
(Other definitions for eliminate that I've seen before include "Exclude from further stage of competition" , "Annihilate" , "Completely remove, get rid of" , "Murder" , "Cut out" .)