Crossword Genius

Awfully late run chasing gold with little preparation (2,7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

au naturel

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'awfully late run chasing gold with little preparation' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'awfully late run chasing gold' is the wordplay.
'awfully' indicates an anagram.
'chasing' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (some letters chase after others).
'gold' becomes 'Au' (Au is the chemical symbol for gold).
'late'+'run'='laterun'
'laterun' anagrammed gives 'naturel'.
'naturel' after 'au' is 'AU NATUREL'.

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(Other definitions for au naturel that I've seen before include "served without dressing" , "Nancy's naked" , "Cooked plainly or raw" , "Plain" , "Very simply" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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