Maid from Middle East is the first to arrive (6)
I believe the answer is:
eldest
'first to arrive' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'maid from middle east is the' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'from' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is present in the answer.
'east' could be 'e' (synonyms) and 'e' is found within the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for eldest that I've seen before include "Firstborn; led set (anag.)" , "Most advanced in age, led set (anag.)" , "Most advanced in years" , "Of greatest age" , "First in the order of birth" .)