Compost often coats landscaper's nose (5)
I believe the answer is:
mulch
'compost' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't understand how one could define the other.
'often coats landscaper's nose' is the wordplay.
'often' becomes 'much' (I've seen this in another clue).
'coats' means one lot of letters goes inside another (inserted letters are coated in another word).
'nose' suggests taking the first letters (nose can mean the front of something).
The initial letter of 'landscaper' is 'l'.
'much' placed around 'l' is 'MULCH'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for mulch that I've seen before include "Decaying leaves, bark or compost spread around a plant" , "Protective vegetation" , "Mixture of straw, leaves etc spread on ground to protect plants" , "Treat with compost" , "Ground cover" .)