Put on a soft layer (5)

I believe the answer is:

apply

'put on' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'a soft layer' is the wordplay.
'soft' becomes 'p' (musical abbreviation for 'piano').
'layer' becomes 'ply' (ply is a kind of layer).
'a'+'p'+'ply'='APPLY'

(Other definitions for apply that I've seen before include "describing the cooker?" , "Make a formal request (to someone); put on" , "Employ; be relevant" , "concentrate" , "Send off (form, etc)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and The Telegraph.

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