Starter of tongue in container (3)
I believe the answer is:
tin
'container' is the definition.
(tin is a kind of container)
'starter of tongue in' is the wordplay.
'starter of' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letter of 'tongue' is 't'.
't'+'in'='TIN'
(Other definitions for tin that I've seen before include "Silvery-white metallic element" , "Canister" , "Element, symbol Sn" , "Silver-white element often used in food containers" , "loaf of bread" .)