Crossword Genius

Half and half housing? (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

semis

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

'half and half housing?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'half and half housing?' is the wordplay.
'half' becomes 'semi' (I've seen this before).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'half housing?' becomes 's' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'semi'+'s'='SEMIS'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for semis that I've seen before include "They transport" , "Suburban houses" , "Paired houses" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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