Crossword Genius

One who gives you soap and flannel (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

flatterer

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

'one who' is the definition.
The answer is a person as well as being a singular noun. This is suggested by the definition.

'soap and flannel' is the wordplay.
'soap' becomes 'er' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (I've seen this in other clues).
'flannel' becomes 'flatter' (I've seen this before).
'er' put after 'flatter' is 'FLATTERER'.

'gives you' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for flatterer that I've seen before include "Sycophant" , "One uses butter" , "Person who imitates, perhaps" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.