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Thorny leafage he collected in this six months (3,4,4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

the year half gone

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'thorny leafage he collected in this six months' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I cannot judge whether this works.

'thorny leafage he collected in this six months' is the wordplay.
'thorny leafage he' anagrams to 'THE YEAR HALF GONE'.
Though, I am unsure how this is indicated.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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