Crossword Genius

Officer coming in drunk or very sober (5-4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stone-cold

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

'very sober' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'officer coming in drunk' is the wordplay.
'officer' becomes 'col' (short for colonel).
'coming in' is an insertion indicator.
'drunk' becomes 'stoned' (I've seen this before).
'col' placed inside 'stoned' is 'STONE-COLD'.

'or' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for stone-cold that I've seen before include "Having lost all warmth" , "At a low temperature" , "Absolutely without heat" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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