Crossword Genius

Fruits shared by couples? (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dates

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

'fruits' is the definition.
(date is a kind of fruit)

'shared by couples?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'by' could be 'at' and 'at' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'des' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dates that I've seen before include "Palm fruit" , "Specified parts of the year" , "Goes steady" , "Fruits and pre-arranged meetings" , "Takes out" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.