26 across
Artist
burst
bubble,
in
a
manner
of
speaking?
(5)
Artist burst bubble, in a manner of speaking? (5)
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The definition is at the beginning of the clue.
How the clue works
The definition is Artist — that's your French painter. The wordplay gives you a cheeky reading of the answer as DE + GAS, meaning to remove gas, which is exactly what you'd do to burst a bubble — "in a manner of speaking" is there to wink at that playful stretch.