Awfully bad lover hugs you the French way (9)

I believe the answer is:

boulevard

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'french way' is the definition.
(a road in France)

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for boulevard that I've seen before include "Wide city road" , "Wide tree-lined street" , "tree-lined road" , "Broad urban road" , "See 1" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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