Crossword Genius

Vessel beginning to heel in drink (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ship

'vessel' is the definition.
(ship is a kind of vessel)

'beginning to heel in drink' is the wordplay.
'beginning to' says to take the initial letters.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'drink' becomes 'sip' (sipping is a kind of drinking**).
The initial letter of 'heel' is 'h'.
'h' inserted into 'sip' is 'SHIP'.

(Other definitions for ship that I've seen before include "In a word, final indication of rank or position" , "Large boat, dispatch" , "Ocean-going vessel" , "Large sailing vessel" , "craft of 1d [ADVENTURE]" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.