The term 'ASK FOR AN OPINION' can be broken down into two crossword solutions, POLL and OPED. A POLL is a survey of public opinion, usually conducted by asking a sample of people a series of questions. An op-ed is an opinion piece written by a guest columnist and published in a newspaper or magazine. It is typically written to express a strong opinion on a particular issue. Together, these two terms suggest that one should ask for an opinion from the public by conducting a POLL or writing an op-ed.