Crossword Genius

Area near steamer that's extremely deep (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

abyss

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

'extremely deep' is the definition.
'abyss' can be an answer for 'deep' (thesaurus). I'm not certain of the 'extremely' bit.

'area near steamer' is the wordplay.
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'near' becomes 'by' (near means close by).
'steamer' becomes 'SS' (prefix in ship names eg SS Great Britain).
'a'+'by'+'ss'='ABYSS'

'that's' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for abyss that I've seen before include "crevasse" , "depths of sea" , "something rather deep" , "Deep gulf" , "gaping hole" .)

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