Crossword Genius

Where a spare part is capital (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

paris

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'capital' is the definition.
(capital of France)

'where a spare part is' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'a' is found in the answer.
'is' is within 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 paris that I've seen before include "captivated Helen" , "I spar (anag)" , "English chronicler" , "Legendary prince" , "French city" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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