Crossword Genius

U-boat damaged, initially holed in a north German route (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

autobahn

'german route' is the definition.
(German term for a motorway)

'u-boat damaged initially holed in a north' is the wordplay.
'damaged' indicates an anagram.
'initially' suggests taking the first letters.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'north' becomes 'n' (synonyms).
The first letter of 'holed' is 'h'.
'u'+'boat'='uboat'
'uboat' is an anagram of 'utoba'.
'utoba'+'h'='utobah'
'a'+'n'='an'
'utobah' placed inside 'an' is 'AUTOBAHN'.

(Other definitions for autobahn that I've seen before include "expressway" , "Motorway in Germany" , "Great way" , "way abroad" , "One way the Germans drive" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.