Study French river in first course (8)
I believe the answer is:
consomme
'first course' is the definition.
'consomme' can be an answer for 'course' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'first' bit.
'study french river' is the wordplay.
'study' becomes 'con' (con can informally mean to study).
'french river' becomes 'somme' (the Somme is a river in France).
'con'+'somme'='CONSOMME'
'in' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for consomme that I've seen before include "stock product" , "Thin, clear soup" , "liquid course" , "Clear soup made with concentrated stock" , "Clear French meat soup" .)