Crossword Genius

Lover shortly meeting a sailor from the East (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

inamorata

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'lover' is the definition.
(I know that inamorata is a type of lover)

'shortly meeting a sailor from the east' is the wordplay.
'shortly' becomes 'in a mo' (I've seen this before).
'meeting' says to put letters next to each other.
'a sailor from the east' becomes 'rata' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'inamo'+'rata'='INAMORATA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for inamorata that I've seen before include "loved one" , "Girlfriend" , "Woman beloved" , "Sweetheart" , "Someone fancies her" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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