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Is fairly optimistic in the cooking of these potherbs (5,3,3,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hopes for the best

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'is fairly optimistic in' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'cooking of these potherbs' is the wordplay.
'cooking' indicates an anagram (cook can mean to falsify or distort).
'of'+'these'+'potherbs'='ofthesepotherbs'
'ofthesepotherbs' anagrammed gives 'HOPES FOR THE BEST'.

'the' is the link.

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I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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