Crossword Genius

New area to decline after rising charges (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aerates

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

'rising charges' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to change as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?

'new area to decline after' is the wordplay.
'new' indicates an anagram.
'to decline' becomes 'tes' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'after' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'area' anagrammed gives 'aera'.
'aera'+'tes'='AERATES'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aerates that I've seen before include "uses fork to do it?" , "fans" , "Pumps carbon dioxide into" , "Puts fizz into a drink" , "Adds carbon dioxide to liquid under pressure" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.