The crossword solutions for the term 'absorb, as costs' are 'EAT' and 'SOP'. Eating is a basic human need and is necessary for survival. To absorb costs means to take on the financial burden of something. SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedure and is a set of instructions that outlines how a task should be completed. Therefore, the two solutions together suggest that in order to absorb costs, one must follow a set of instructions or procedures.