Road surface; sailor

Latest answer — September 18, 2026

21 Down

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Clue explained

TAR has two straightforward senses: it is the black material used for road surfaces, and “tar” is an old informal term for a sailor. The semicolon separates these paired definitions.

Clue type:
Definition
A newly surfaced road covered in dark tar

Telegraph Quick Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 18, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Parrot's name
  2. 4Venice painter
  3. 8Flightless bird
  4. 9Italian starter
  5. 10Resourceful
  6. 12Distress signal
  7. 13Be wrong, do wrong
  8. 14Understand; be punished
  9. 15Rocky hill
  10. 16Male cat
  11. 18Carthorse (anag.)
  12. 20Gives up the throne
  13. 22Hawaiian garland
  14. 23Strenuous work
  15. 24Spooky

Down

  1. 1Statesmanlike
  2. 2Pool chair, e.g.
  3. 3Hanker
  4. 4Small bird
  5. 5Prepare for printing
  6. 6Fools; beasts
  7. 7Careful
  8. 11Visual
  9. 14Oft-quoted Marx
  10. 15So-called
  11. 17Aimed (anag.)
  12. 19Follow
  13. 21Road surface; sailor

The answer to “Road surface; sailor” in the The Telegraph Quick crossword is TAR — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Quick crossword on September 18, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 21-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Road surface; sailor” answer

TAR (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is TAR.

What does TAR mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of TAR is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a dark, thick flammable liquid distilled from wood or coal, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons, resins, alcohols, and other compounds. It is used in road-making and for coating and preserving timber

When else has “Road surface; sailor” appeared?

The Telegraph Quick reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 18, 2026 (most recent) → TAR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Road surface; sailor”?

The answer is TAR, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Quick crossword on September 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Road surface; sailor”?

3 letters: TAR.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Telegraph Quick crossword on September 18, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 21-Down.

Can “Road surface; sailor” have a different answer?

Yes — The Telegraph Quick sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's Telegraph Quick answers?

The full grid for September 18, 2026 is on the Telegraph Quick answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

The Telegraph Quick Crossword is published by The Telegraph; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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