Crossword Genius

A gentle kiss from Mercedes? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

caress

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

'kiss from mercedes?' is the definition.
'caress' can be an answer for 'kiss' (thesaurus). I'm not certain of the 'from mercedes?' bit.

'a gentle' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'a' is within the answer.
The remaining letters 'cress' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for caress that I've seen before include "Gentle stroke" , "Stroke affectionately" , "pet[s]" , "Embrace with affection" , "Stroke, fondle" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app