Is he surprisingly backward in German? (4)

I believe the answer is:

otto

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This could be a double definition.

'is he' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)

'surprisingly backward in german?' is the second definition.
'Otto' can be an answer for 'german?' (common German name). I am not certain of the 'surprisingly backward in' bit.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for otto that I've seen before include "Cooker" , "Emperor's" , "he goes" , "German emperor" , "Something oily" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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