The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MASSAGE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
M
A
S
S
A
G
E
More clues leading to the result MASSAGE
- Mother’s wise doctor
- Rub mother's herb
- Large number with time to get therapeutic treatment
- Old woman’s herbal therapy?
- Alter service time
- Hands-on technique in service over period
- Doctor, wise man accommodating fool
- Intimation missing first sweetheart for a rub-down
- Tamper with religious worship over time
- It could be generation of bulk manipulation
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Hands-on technique" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case hands-on technique = massage.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MASSAGE mean?
MASSAGE noun- The action of rubbing, kneading or hitting someone's body, to help the person relax, prepare for muscular action (as in contact sports) or to relieve aches.
- To rub and knead (someone's body or a part of a body), to perform a massage on (somebody).
- To manipulate (data, a document etc.) to make it more presentable or more convenient to work with.
- To falsify (data or accounts).