Crossword Genius

Meeting Frenchman first - that's lucky (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mascot

'that's lucky' is the definition.
(I know that mascot are lucky)

'meeting frenchman first' is the wordplay.
'meeting' becomes 'ascot' (horse racing meeting).
'frenchman' becomes 'm' (abbreviation for Monsieur).
'first' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'ascot' put after 'm' is 'MASCOT'.

(Other definitions for mascot that I've seen before include "Thing supposed to bring good luck" , "Lucky person" , "It's adopted by a team as a symbolic figure" , "Good luck token" , "Luck-bringer" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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