Crossword Genius

First couple deplored Jackeen's vulgarity; they've seen it before (4,2)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

deja vu

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'first' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't see how they can define each other.

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

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(Other definitions for deja vu that I've seen before include "Illusion of familiarity" , "Psychological phenomenon" , "Sense of history repeating" , "Unoriginal material" , "Already seen" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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