Crossword Genius

Ooze across back of barrel and drop off (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sleep

'drop off' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'ooze across back of barrel' is the wordplay.
'ooze' becomes 'seep' ('seep' can be a synonym of 'ooze'**).
'across' is an insertion indicator.
'back of' indicates one should take the final letters.
The final letter of 'barrel' is 'l'.
'seep' placed around 'l' is 'SLEEP'.

'and' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for sleep that I've seen before include "''... that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care'' (Macbeth)" , "Slumber" , "Wayne _; former Royal Ballet principal dancer" , "Natural state of unconscious rest" , "Doze, nap" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.