"Drinks" Answers

Visual Key to Clue Analysis :
Definition : BOLD
Wordplay : Italics with keywords underlined as well
Link : Normal

___________________________________________________________

Answer Explanation to “Drinks”

1A Twice or thrice, it's the same dance

Twice indicates that the answer is repeated.

Thrice indicates that the answer is mentioned 3 times.

And in both cases, result is the same dance.

 Such a dance is the cha-cha or cha-cha-cha

Answer : Cha

3A Drink to it and my game!

Drink = GIN

GIN to it means that GIN is added to answer

And together with MY will reveal a game

GIN XXX MY  = GIN RUMMY

Answer : Rum

4A Its bacronym is Taxed Enough Already

Bacronym refers to an acronym to which the longer version is ascribed after the fact.

Initials of Taxed Enough Already = TEA

Answer : Tea

5A General – short, singular, special

‘short’ is end deletion indicator for General and so we get Genera

Genera in singular form is Genus

‘special’ is anagram indicator and refers to Genus

Answer : Negus

7A Beverage that’s timeless-very nearly!

Timeless in reference to beverage means we take ‘age’ out

So we are left with BEVER

VERY = V

‘nearly’ is deletion indicator and hence V is removed from BEVER

Answer : Beer

8A It rebelled alongside  English fictional heroine

‘rebelled’ refers to answer which is reversed

‘alongside’ is a juxtaposition indicator

English = E

With the above operations, we will get a fictional heroine, in this case EYRE ( from Jane Eyre )

Remove E from Eyre , we have Eyr which when reversed gives us rye

Answer : Rye

9A Change tack during tumult

‘change’ is anagram indicator

‘during’ is insertion indicator

Tumult = coil

So rearrange Tack in coil giving us CO CKTA  IL

Answer : Cocktail

12A No worries about taking leak outside

No worries = OK

OK about = KO ( as about is reverse indicator )

Leak = Pee

Pee ‘taken outside’ KO gives us PE KO E

Answer : Pekoe

13A  Second runner

Second = S

Runner = tout

Answer : Stout

14A Strange to be welcomed by Tory – or not ?

TORY – or ‘not’ means take out OR from Tory giving us TY

Strange = odd

Odd is 'welcomed' ( insertion indicator ) by TY

Answer : Toddy

1D Clear cut solution to primary problem

‘solution’ is anagram indicator and refers to ‘clear cut’

‘primary’ is head indicator and refers to “problem” giving us P

Answer : Claret Cup

2D Capone’s first and last

Capone’s first refers to his first name which is AL

‘last’ refers to the last letter of his name giving us E

Answer : Ale

3D On the contrary, one hour news includes one-liners heartily!

‘heartily’ is centre indicator and refers to central letters of LINERS giving us NE

One = I

Together , we have INE

One hour = IHR and ‘on the contrary’ it reverses to RHI

Hence we have RHI NEWS  ‘includes INE  giving us RHINE  W  INE  S

Answer : Rhine Wines

6D  Streep’s first - “Sophie’s Choice”

Sophie’s Choice within quotes can be understood as an example of her bet, where Sophie is ‘her’ and choice = bet

Streep’s first refers to the first letter of her name and gives us S

Together, we have S herbet

Answer : Sherbet

7D  10 star fashion icon

Star of 10 was Bo Derek – hence BO

Fashion icon = Calvin Klein – hence CK

Answer : Bock

10D Talk back to leader

Talk = YAK

Back is reverse indicator and refers to YAK which gives us KAY

Add TO in front as indicated by ‘leader’

Answer : Tokay

11D No choice really when you look it up

‘when the answer is seen from below , it looks like there is no choice

Choice indicates that the word “OR” is in there

Since we are talking about drinks , the only letter to fit outside OR is G

Grog  when reversed gives us G OR G ( so you take G or G – no choice, really )

Answer : Grog

Jay