Crossword Genius

American can leave wife to follow prostitute like this, on reflection (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hoosgow

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

'american can' is the definition.
'hoosgow' can be an answer for 'can' (I've seen this before). I'm not sure about the 'american' bit.

'leave wife to follow prostitute like this on reflection' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'leave' could be 'go' and 'go' is found within the answer.
'wife' could be 'w' and 'w' is found within the answer.
'prostitute' could be 'ho' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'ho' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'os' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for hoosgow that I've seen is " Poky".)

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