Crossword Genius

In Rome, I maybe run into foreign character before lunch? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

numeral

'in rome i maybe' is the definition.
(I is a Roman numeral)

'run into foreign character before lunch?' is the wordplay.
'run' becomes 'r' (cricket abbreviation).
'into' is an insertion indicator.
'foreign character' becomes 'nu' (Greek letter).
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'lunch?' becomes 'meal' (lunch is a kind of meal).
'nu'+'meal'='numeal'
'r' going within 'numeal' is 'NUMERAL'.

(Other definitions for numeral that I've seen before include "one involved in maths?" , "Figure representing an integer" , "Symbol for number" , "Such as 5, 9, iii, etc" , "Figure or symbol like '1', for example" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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