Devious googly using a bit of emollient — it’s something to study (7)

I believe the answer is:

geology

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'study' is the definition.
(geology is a kind of study)

I can't explain the remainder of the clue.

(Other definitions for geology that I've seen before include "Science that deals with the history of rocks" , "The scientific study of the earth's crust" , "Study of Earth, its rocks" , "The science of the earth's crust" , "Earth science" .)

I've seen this clue in The Hindu.

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