Quietly show cynical contempt around grooms (6)
I believe the answer is:
preens
'grooms' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'quietly show cynical contempt around' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'p' (musical symbol).
'show cynical contempt' becomes 'sneer' (I've seen this before).
'around' is a reversal indicator.
'sneer' backwards is 'reens'.
'p'+'reens'='PREENS'
(Other definitions for preens that I've seen before include "Grooms oneself in a vain manner" , "Arranges as a bird does its feathers" , "Trims feathers with beak" , "Grooms, as a bird would" , "Titivates" .)