Work hard to acquire some essentially sexy allure (5)
I believe the answer is:
oomph
'sexy allure' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both human attributes as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'work hard to acquire some essentially' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'to acquire' is an insertion indicator.
'essentially' says to take the centre.
The middle of 'some' is 'om'.
'op'+'h'='oph'
'oph' enclosing 'om' is 'OOMPH'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for oomph that I've seen before include "attractiveness" , "Informal energy or enthusiasm, usually in a girl" , "sex-appeal" , "Ginger" , "Shows excitement aplenty" .)