Crossword Genius

Ridicule drinks for the audience (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tease

'ridicule' is the definition.
(I know that tease is a more specific form of ridicule)

'drinks for the audience' is the wordplay.
'drinks' becomes 'teas' (tea is a kind of drink).
'for the audience' shows a homophone (sound like) (how an audience might hear it).
'teas' sounds like 'TEASE'.

(Other definitions for tease that I've seen before include "Torment, tantalise" , "Twit - flirt" , "Torment lightly" , "Cod" , "Make fun of; comb wool" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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