Cryptic crossword clue
Putting in order in French – gin drunk without tonic initially? 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word NEATENING

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
N
E
A
T
E
N
I
N
G

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Putting in order" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case putting in order = neatening.
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 NEATENING mean?

NEATENING verb
  1. To make neat; arrange in an orderly, tidy way; to tidy.

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