The crossword solutions for the term 'ABLE WAS __...' are 'IEREI' (5 letters) and 'IERE' (4 letters). The phrase 'ABLE WAS IEREI' is a palindrome, meaning it reads the same forwards and backwards. The phrase 'ABLE WAS IERE' is also a palindrome, but with one letter missing. Both phrases are examples of a type of word play called an anagram, which is when the letters of a word or phrase are rearranged to form a new word or phrase.