In a bar, for a start, depressed or gloomy (8)
I believe the answer is:
downbeat
'gloomy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in a bar for a start depressed' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is within the answer.
'bar' could be 't' (T-bar is a part of a ski lift) and 't' is found in the answer.
'depressed' could be 'down' (synonyms) and 'down' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'be' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'or' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for downbeat that I've seen before include "Casual" , "Pessimistic, gloomy" , "Understated; gloomy" , "gesture by conductor" , "Dismal and depressing" .)