Massage feathers with difficulty at first (3,4)
I believe the answer is:
rub down
'massage' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'feathers with difficulty at first' is the wordplay.
'feathers with' becomes 'down' (down can mean bird feathers. I am not sure about the 'with' bit.).
'difficulty' becomes 'rub' (rub can mean a difficulty or problem).
'at first' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'down' put after 'rub' is 'RUB-DOWN'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rub down that I've seen before include "Act of drying, smoothing or cleaning" , "dry" , "A brisk massage for muscle toning" , "Prepare eight ac with sandpaper, say" , "Get ready to paint" .)