Crossword Genius

Flower of note smothered with praise insincerely (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

buttercup

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'flower' is the definition.
(I know that buttercup is a type of flower)

'note smothered with praise insincerely' is the wordplay.
'note' becomes 'c' (musical note).
'smothered with' is an insertion indicator (I've seen this in other clues).
'praise insincerely' becomes 'butterup' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'c' put into 'butterup' is 'BUTTERCUP'.

'of' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for buttercup that I've seen before include "Bumboat woman" , "Common yellow meadow plant" , "Flowering plant" , "growth in the field" , "Goldilocks, possibly" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app