Crossword Genius

State administration gets polite overhaul (5,7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

civil service

'state administration' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'polite overhaul' is the wordplay.
'polite' becomes 'civil' (synonyms).
'overhaul' becomes 'service' (synonyms).
'civil'+'service'='CIVIL SERVICE'

'gets' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for civil service that I've seen before include "State administration" , "Sir Humphrey & Co?" , "State administrators" , "The government's workers" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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