Crossword Genius

Seaman, each morning, makes it directly across the middle of the ship (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

abeam

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

'makes it directly across the middle of the ship' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'seaman each morning' is the wordplay.
'seaman' becomes 'ab' (short for able seaman).
'each' becomes 'e' (this might be a standard abbreviation which I don't know about).
'morning' becomes 'am'.
'ab'+'e'+'am'='ABEAM'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for abeam that I've seen before include "across the deck" , "Set across" , "at right angles to a ship's keel" , "At right angles to the side of a ship" , "across width of ship" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.