American female — one employed as director? (5)
I believe the answer is:
usher
'director?' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'american female' is the wordplay.
'american' becomes 'us' (abbreviation for United States).
'female' becomes 'her' (I've seen this in another clue).
'us'+'her'='USHER'
'one employed as' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for usher that I've seen before include "One who shows people to seats" , "He shows people to their seats in theatre" , "Doorkeeper in court of law" , "R and B star" , "Official doorkeeper or guide" .)