Re: bon mot in translation: it’s French for ‘paper-clip’ (8)
I believe the answer is:
trombone
'french for paper-clip' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
're bon mot in translation' is the wordplay.
'in translation' indicates an anagram (translate can mean to transform).
're'+'bon'+'mot'='rebonmot'
'rebonmot' with letters rearranged gives 'TROMBONE'.
'it's' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for trombone that I've seen before include "Blow me!" , "Brass instrument with sliding tubes" , "Musical instrument with long slide" , "Brass band instrument" , "play this" .)