Clown perhaps does without minute nut (4,2,3)
I believe the answer is:
coco de mer
'nut' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'clown perhaps does without minute' is the wordplay.
'clown' becomes 'coco' (Nicolai Poliakoff aka Coco the Clown).
'perhaps does' becomes 'deer' (I've seen this before).
'without' is an insertion indicator ('without' can be similar in meaning to 'outside').
'minute' becomes 'm' (abbreviation).
'deer' placed around 'm' is 'demer'.
'coco'+'demer'='COCO DE MER'
(Another definition for coco de mer that I've seen is " nut".)
I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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