Crossword Genius

Real dope, one taken in by French article (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

genuine

'real' is the definition.
('genuine' can be similar in meaning to 'real')

'dope one taken in by french article' is the wordplay.
'dope' becomes 'gen' (I've seen this in other clues).
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'taken in by' indicates putting letters inside.
'french article' becomes 'une' (French for 'a' - the indefinite article).
'i' inserted within 'une' is 'uine'.
'gen'+'uine'='GENUINE'

(Other definitions for genuine that I've seen before include "'Real, unfeigned (7)'" , "Sincere, honest" , "Real; sincere" , "Real, not faked" , "Ingenue - the real McCoy" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.