Crossword Genius

Help large English dog that's upset (3-2)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leg-up

'help' is the definition.
(to give a leg-up is to give help)

'large english dog that's upset' is the wordplay.
'large' becomes 'L' (eg in clothes sizes).
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'dog' becomes 'pug' (pug is a kind of dog).
'that's upset' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'pug' reversed gives 'gup'.
'l'+'e'+'gup'='LEG-UP'

(Another definition for leg-up that I've seen is " A boost to improve one's position".)

I've seen this clue in The Everyman puzzle in The Observer.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.