Rule out Ecstasy as cause of death (4)
I believe the answer is:
bane
'cause of death' is the definition.
'bane' can be an answer for 'death' (thesaurus). I'm not sure about the 'cause of' bit.
'rule out ecstasy' is the wordplay.
'rule out' becomes 'ban' (I've seen this in another clue).
'ecstasy' becomes 'E' (informal term for the drug).
'ban'+'e'='BANE'
'as' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bane that I've seen before include "Cause of trouble or worry, like bean" , "scourge" , "Something causing misery or distress" , "Cause of trouble or anxiety" , "Source of misery" .)