17 Down(3)
These world leaders on Russian river? It’s … it’s worth little in America (3,4)
Guardian Cryptic #29965 by Omnibus · View full puzzle

Progressive Hints

Definition: "worth little in America"
This uses a combination of techniques - taking 'leaders' (first letters) and connecting to American slang for a small amount of money.
Look at 'These world leaders' as instruction to take first letters. The repeated 'It's … it's' gives you the letters to work with. The Roman numeral connection leads to the first word, and American slang for a small monetary amount gives the second word.
Answer: TWO BITS | 'These world leaders' means take the first letters of 'It's … it's' = I, I = II in Roman numerals = TWO. 'Worth little in America' = BITS (slang for 25 cents, a small amount).
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