Sudden blow absorbed by the German dealer in cloth (6)
I believe the answer is:
draper
'dealer in cloth' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'sudden blow absorbed by the german' is the wordplay.
'sudden blow' becomes 'rap' (rap is a kind of blow. I am not sure about the 'sudden' bit.).
'absorbed by' is an insertion indicator.
'the german' becomes 'der' ('the' in German).
'rap' going into 'der' is 'DRAPER'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for draper that I've seen before include "Seller of textiles" , "Fabric seller" , "Dealer in fabrics and sewing materials" , "One sells sewing materials" , "Material businessman" .)