I patronise general receiving award (8)

I believe the answer is:

customer

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

'i patronise' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'general receiving award' is the wordplay.
'general' becomes 'custer' (I've seen this before).
'receiving' is an insertion indicator.
'award' becomes 'OM' (order of merit).
'custer' placed around 'om' is 'CUSTOMER'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for customer that I've seen before include "Shopper or client - always right" , "Selfridge said one is always right" , "Rail passenger, nowadays" , "Person buying" , "Person shopping" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.