Crossword Genius

Appealing not to lose the lot (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

winsome

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'appealing' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'not to lose the lot' is the wordplay.
'not to lose' becomes 'win' ('win' is the opposite to 'lose').
'the lot' becomes 'some' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'win'+'some'='WINSOME'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for winsome that I've seen before include "Charming (in a childlike way?)" , "Fetching" , "Agreeable" , "Appealingy attractive" , "Captivating" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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