Cryptic crossword clue
Flipping costly keeping sailors in drink 3-5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word RAT-ARSED

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
R
A
T
-
A
R
S
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "in drink" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in drink = rat-arsed.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does RAT-ARSED mean?

RAT-ARSED adjective
  1. Extremely drunk.

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