Crossword Genius

The sailor dined with the guys before starting the decrease (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

abatement

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

'decrease' is the definition.
(abatement is a kind of decrease)

'the sailor dined with the guys before starting the' is the wordplay.
'the sailor' becomes 'ab' (abbreviation for able seaman).
'dined with' becomes 'ate' (I've seen this in another clue. I am not sure about the 'with' bit.).
'the guys' becomes 'men' (guy can mean a man).
'before' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'starting' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'the' is 't'.
'ab'+'ate'+'men'+'t'='ABATEMENT'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for abatement that I've seen before include "mitigation" , "relief" , "Subsidence" , "Lessening in intensity or amount" .)

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.