### Clue: Murdoch starts joining in short drunken dance (5,3)
### Answer: IRISH JIG 
 ### Explanation: Definition: dance
 IRIS(Murdoch, the English author and philosopher – and she is Irish-born) + { first letter of(starts) "joining" **contained in**(in) "high"(drunken state) **minus ****its last letter**(short) }.