Hit the sauce (4)
I believe the answer is:
tope
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">hit the sauce</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this in another clue)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for tope that I've seen before include "Drink too much like poet" , "Drink excessively like poet" , "Drink a lot like poet" , "Small grey requiem shark" , "What habitual drinkers do" .)