The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MASSEUR
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
A
S
S
E
U
R
More clues leading to the result MASSEUR
- Rubber man shot approaching ancient city
- Sums are wrong: rubber found
- To plug damage, uses liquid rubber
- On reflection, regrets uncle becoming a manipulative type
- This male uses a liquid on your back
- Erasmus dressed up in rubber
- Rubber erasing underside of coin at bottom of pile
- Erasmus dressed as Rubber Man?
- One easing tension in crowd over French street uprising
- Manipulator‘s regret over following crowd
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a manipulative type" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a manipulative type = masseur.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 MASSEUR mean?
MASSEUR noun- (massage) A person (especially male) who performs massage.
- An instrument used in the performance of massage.