Ate sloppy meal (3)
I believe the answer is:
tea
'meal' is the definition.
(tea is a type of meal)
'ate sloppy' is the wordplay.
'sloppy' indicates an anagram.
'ate' anagrammed gives 'TEA'.
(Other definitions for tea that I've seen before include "Hot drink" , "Infusion of dried leaves" , "- - for Two (song)" , "Refreshment" , "Plant" .)