Crossword Genius

English river takes us into olde worlde first and last (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ouse

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

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

'us into olde worlde first and last' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'us' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'oe' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'takes' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ouse that I've seen before include "Lewes's river" , "River that joins the Trent to form the Humber" , "English river, sounds as if it flows slowly" , "Norfolk river" , "River at Bedford" .)

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