Crossword Genius

Tom, say, passes round empty nightclub (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cabaret

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'nightclub' is the definition.
(I know that nightclub can be written as cabaret)

'tom say passes round empty' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'empty' could be 'bare' (eg 'the cupboards were bare') and 'bare' is located in the answer.
'tom' could be 'cat' (a tom is a male cat) and 'cat' is present in the remaining letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cabaret that I've seen before include "Bob Fosse musical with Liza Minnelli" , "Floor show and name of great musical" , "Nightclub entertainment, floor show" , "goes on in nightclub?" , "Series of acts" .)

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.