The way a Frenchman is unflappable (6)

I believe the answer is:

serene

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'unflappable' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'the way a frenchman' is the wordplay.
'the way' becomes 'se' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'a frenchman' becomes 'rene'.
'se'+'rene'='SERENE'

'is' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for serene that I've seen before include "Calm, untroubled" , "without any trouble" , "Calm and unruffled, like a princely title." , "Tranquil, perfectly calm" , "Placid" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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