Crossword Genius

Fibre from sample is hot, surprisingly (5,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sisal hemp

'fibre' is the definition.
(sisal hemp is a kind of fibre)

'sample is hot surprisingly' is the wordplay.
'hot' becomes 'h' (abbreviation eg on taps).
'surprisingly' indicates anagramming the letters (a surprising ordering of the letters).
'sample'+'is'+'h'='sampleish'
'sampleish' is an anagram of 'SISAL-HEMP'.

'from' is the link.

(Other definitions for sisal hemp that I've seen before include "Natural fibre for making ropes" , "Natural product used to make rope" , "Rope fibre" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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