Crossword Genius

Cutting down drinking a little around noon (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

snipping

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'cutting' is the definition.
(snipping is a kind of cutting)

'down drinking a little around noon' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'drinking' could be 'nip' (nip is a kind of drinking) and 'nip' is found within the answer.
'noon' could be 'n' (abbreviation for noon) and 'n' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Sunday Times and The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app