The answer is to do with 'ships' i.e.The onion merge will find the ships powerhouse, perhaps? =Engine room. I'm stuck on: A stern look at the fat end of the ship, perhaps?
Any ideas welcomed!!!!
stern is a term for the back(fat end) of a ship.
astern means something behind a ship as does abaft.
A tenuous anagram could be ab (able bodied seaman) + anagram of fat = aft.
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship