How do I solve 1 across in Times Cryptic 29550?

Question

Accepted Answer

1 across reads "Break the French ram" (3-2 letters); the answer is LET-UP. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Break the French ram (3-2)

1A — Break the French ram (3-2) — LET-UP