Crossword Genius

The French aristocrat given a pardon (3,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

let off

'a pardon' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'the french aristocrat given' is the wordplay.
'the french' becomes 'le' ('the' in French).
'aristocrat' becomes 'toff' (toff can mean an upper-class person).
'given' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'le'+'toff'='LET OFF'

(Other definitions for let off that I've seen before include "given a reprieve" , "Detonate" , "Fire escape" , "Pardon - discharge" , "Fired" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sun.
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