Irritable as spirit diluted (5-8)

I believe the answer is:

short-tempered

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

'irritable' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'spirit diluted' is the wordplay.
'spirit' becomes 'short' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'diluted' becomes 'tempered' (similar in meaning).
'short'+'tempered'='SHORT-TEMPERED'

'as' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for short-tempered that I've seen before include "Easily riled" , "Impatient" , "Easily moved to anger" , "Irascible" , "Tending to anger quickly" .)

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.