Being self-satisfied stops things working (4,2)
I believe the answer is:
gums up
'stops things working' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with contact as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?
'being self-satisfied' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'being' could be 'ms' (Ms. is an example) and 'ms' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution?
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