Left a young seal to drink eagerly (3,2)

I believe the answer is:

lap up

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

'drink eagerly' is the definition.
'lap up' can be an answer for 'drink' (lapping up is a kind of drinking). I'm not sure about the 'eagerly' bit.

'left a young seal' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'young seal' becomes 'pup' (I've seen this before).
'l'+'a'+'pup'='LAP UP'

'to' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lap up that I've seen before include "Take in avidly" , "Scoop" , "Eagerly enjoy" , "Greatly enjoy winning" , "motor race by some distance?" .)

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.