Crossword Genius

Teacher, around end of year, needing a cocktail (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sidecar

'cocktail' is the definition.
(I know that Sidecar is a type of cocktail)

'teacher around end of year needing a' is the wordplay.
'teacher' becomes 'sir' (way of addressing a male teacher).
'around' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'end of year' becomes 'dec' (short for December, last month of the year).
'needing' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'dec'+'a'='deca'
'sir' placed around 'deca' is 'SIDECAR'.

(Other definitions for sidecar that I've seen before include "that biker may take with him" , "In which a passenger may be taken" , "Appendage to motor cycle" , "Part of combination" , "Where a passenger may go" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.