Crossword Genius

Try to find water that's put out (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dowse

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'try to find water' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'that's put out' is the wordplay.
'that's' becomes 'dow' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'put' becomes 'set' (both can mean to place or position).
'out' means to remove the last letter.
'set' with its final letter taken away is 'se'.
'dow'+'se'='DOWSE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dowse that I've seen before include "Search for water using hazel twig" , "Look for water with a divining rod" , "Search for water using hazel rod" , "Seek water with stick" , "Divine for water" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Mail.
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