Crossword Genius

Smile and leave American to Mexican (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gringo

'american to mexican' is the definition.
(Spanish term for someone who is not Hispanic)

'smile and leave' is the wordplay.
'smile' becomes 'grin' (grinning is a kind of smiling).
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'leave' becomes 'go'.
'grin'+'go'='GRINGO'

(Other definitions for gringo that I've seen before include "Latin-American term for English speaker" , "Non-Spanish speaker" , "What the Mexican calls the American" , "English-speaker abroad" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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