Pour flattery upon an attractive beast (4)
I believe the answer is:
fawn
'beast' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both animals as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for fawn that I've seen before include "Pale brown" , "Behave obsequiously like young deer" , "Yellowish brown; grovel" , "Be obsequious, grovel" , "Bear does, maybe" .)