Crossword Genius

Moderate son getting a great deal (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

soften

'moderate' is the definition.
('soften' can be a synonym of 'moderate')

'son getting a great deal' is the wordplay.
'son getting' becomes 's' (I've seen this in other clues).
'a great deal' becomes 'often' (I've seen this before).
's'+'often'='SOFTEN'

(Other definitions for soften that I've seen before include "become less rough" , "Temper" , "Make less firm" , "Yield" , "Make less hard or become less severe" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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