Crossword Genius

Stroke a female auto! (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

caress

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

'stroke' is the definition.
(I know that caress is a type of stroke)

'a female auto' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'cress' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for caress that I've seen before include "Gentle loving touch" , "Stroke affectionately" , "Stroke, fondle" , "Scares with loving stroke" , "Gentle stroke" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.