Crossword Genius

Old Turk, German fellow and Middle Eastern state share a bank (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ottoman

'old turk' is the definition.
(as in the Ottoman Empire)

'german fellow and middle eastern state share a bank' is the wordplay.
'german fellow' becomes 'otto' (common German name).
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'middle eastern state share' becomes 'mn' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'bank' indicates putting letters inside.
'mn' going around 'a' is 'man'.
'otto'+'man'='OTTOMAN'

(Other definitions for ottoman that I've seen before include "Turkish dynasty or long cushioned seat" , "Couch for a Turk" , "cushion" , "Armless, padded seat" , "Turkish (hist.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.