Municipal chairman’s wife hiding diamonds in dressing gown (8)
I believe the answer is:
mayoress
'municipal chairman's wife' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'hiding diamonds in dressing gown' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'dressing' could be 'mayo' (mayo is a condiment or dressing) and 'mayo' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for mayoress that I've seen before include "Public official" , "Head of town council" , "Local dignitary" , "Female dignitary" , "Civic dignitary" .)