How do I solve 1 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

1 across reads "Stalls behind Globe stage for writers" (9,4 letters); the answer is BALLPOINT PENS. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 9 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

9 across reads "English PM Liz inspiring May and old Italians" (9 letters); the answer is ETRUSCANS. It's a container clue: one word goes inside another. Container indicators include 'in', 'around', 'holding', and 'embracing' — identify the outer word, then the inner piece that gets slotted into it. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 10 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

10 across reads "Goods carried back by yobbo gracelessly" (5 letters); the answer is CARGO. It's a letter-selection clue: take specific letters from a longer source. 'First of' means the opening letter, 'extremely' means first + last, 'regularly' means every other letter, 'oddly' / 'evenly' means odd or even positions. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 11 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

11 across reads "Relative in charge of sound" (5 letters); the answer is SONIC. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 12 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

12 across reads "Husband leaving from Cork perhaps – that's a bloomer" (4 letters); the answer is IRIS. It's a deletion clue: start with a word the clue points to, then drop one or more letters. Indicators include 'endlessly' (lose the last letter), 'beheaded' (lose the first), or 'heartlessly' (lose the middle). The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 13 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

13 across reads "I was in front looking back in food shop" (4 letters); the answer is DELI. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 15 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

15 across reads "Make fun of Oscar winner's bony frame" (7 letters); the answer is RIBCAGE. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 17 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

17 across reads "Areas for e.g. football and golf, games of golf" (7 letters); the answer is GROUNDS. It's a cryptic definition: the whole clue is a playful or punny description of the answer. No wordplay decomposition to do — read laterally and identify what's being described. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 18 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

18 across reads "Greet criminal, admitting hesitation? One's in a sticky situation up here" (3,4 letters); the answer is GUM TREE. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 20 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

20 across reads "Meat in oven's ruined" (7 letters); the answer is VENISON. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 21 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

21 across reads "Perhaps trunk and niece's case will contain old seconds" (4 letters); the answer is NOSE. It's a letter-selection clue: take specific letters from a longer source. 'First of' means the opening letter, 'extremely' means first + last, 'regularly' means every other letter, 'oddly' / 'evenly' means odd or even positions. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 22 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

22 across reads "Shrub expert's seen by river" (4 letters); the answer is ACER. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 23 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

23 across reads "Change key on returning" (5 letters); the answer is ALTER. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 26 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

26 across reads "Female water bird is vulnerable" (5 letters); the answer is FRAIL. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 27 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

27 across reads "These people rioting occasionally, uproar and sirens?" (9 letters); the answer is PRISONERS. It's a double-definition clue: two separate definitions of the same word sit side by side. No wordplay split and no indicators — both halves of the clue define the answer. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 28 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

28 across reads "Strong emotion about fine European eatery" (9,4 letters); the answer is TRANSPORT CAFE. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 1 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

1 down reads "Forget beans, sadly unavailable, and get another dish" (4,10 letters); the answer is BEEF STROGANOFF. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 2 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

2 down reads "Actress learning lines, essentially" (5 letters); the answer is LOREN. It's a hidden-word clue: the answer is spelled out by consecutive letters in the clue itself, often crossing a word boundary. Indicators like 'in', 'some', or 'part of' signal that you're looking at a substring. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 3 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

3 down reads "Promote president's vehicles for small charges" (10 letters); the answer is PUSHCHAIRS. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 4 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

4 down reads "Proclaim a gin excellent, somewhat fancy" (7 letters); the answer is IMAGINE. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 5 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

5 down reads "Sampling T'Pau now and then, and Police singer" (7 letters); the answer is TASTING. It's a letter-selection clue: take specific letters from a longer source. 'First of' means the opening letter, 'extremely' means first + last, 'regularly' means every other letter, 'oddly' / 'evenly' means odd or even positions. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 6 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

6 down reads "Cut, grumpy having lost skin" (4 letters); the answer is ETCH. It's a deletion clue: start with a word the clue points to, then drop one or more letters. Indicators include 'endlessly' (lose the last letter), 'beheaded' (lose the first), or 'heartlessly' (lose the middle). The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 7 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

7 down reads "Officers get near waves on board ship" (9 letters); the answer is SERGEANTS. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 8 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

8 down reads "One meeting Friday in work?" (8,6 letters); the answer is ROBINSON CRUSOE. It's a double-definition clue: two separate definitions of the same word sit side by side. No wordplay split and no indicators — both halves of the clue define the answer. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 14 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

14 down reads "Fairground Attraction, band beginning to argue and fight" (10 letters); the answer is ROUNDABOUT. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 16 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

16 down reads "First of breakdowns and Trump sat fidgeting, car needing this?" (4-5 letters); the answer is BUMP-START. It's a letter-selection clue: take specific letters from a longer source. 'First of' means the opening letter, 'extremely' means first + last, 'regularly' means every other letter, 'oddly' / 'evenly' means odd or even positions. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 19 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

19 down reads "Bolts engineer sees with cap" (7 letters); the answer is ESCAPES. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 20 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

20 down reads "Picture of yogi Trevor's holding up" (7 letters); the answer is VERTIGO. It's a hidden-word clue: the answer is spelled out by consecutive letters in the clue itself, often crossing a word boundary. Indicators like 'in', 'some', or 'part of' signal that you're looking at a substring. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 24 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

24 down reads "Two articles absorbing tense character from Athens" (5 letters); the answer is THETA. It's a container clue: one word goes inside another. Container indicators include 'in', 'around', 'holding', and 'embracing' — identify the outer word, then the inner piece that gets slotted into it. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 25 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239?

25 down reads "Small jumper, feminine, bound to be too short" (4 letters); the answer is FLEA. It's a deletion clue: start with a word the clue points to, then drop one or more letters. Indicators include 'endlessly' (lose the last letter), 'beheaded' (lose the first), or 'heartlessly' (lose the middle). The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31239 — Answers, Hints & Wordplay Explained

1A — Stalls behind Globe stage for writers (9,4) — BALLPOINT PENS

Definition
Definition found: 'writers'
Wordplay
Wordplay: Charade
Synonym
Synonyms spotted: 'Stalls' → PENS
Synonym
Synonyms spotted: 'Globe' → BALL
Synonym
Synonyms spotted: 'stage' → POINT
Assembly
PENS + BALL + POINT = BALLPOINT PENS

Across

1A — Stalls behind Globe stage for writers (9,4) — BALLPOINT PENS

9A — English PM Liz inspiring May and old Italians (9) — ETRUSCANS

10A — Goods carried back by yobbo gracelessly (5) — CARGO

11A — Relative in charge of sound (5) — SONIC

12A — Husband leaving from Cork perhaps – that's a bloomer (4) — IRIS

13A — I was in front looking back in food shop (4) — DELI

15A — Make fun of Oscar winner's bony frame (7) — RIBCAGE

17A — Areas for e.g. football and golf, games of golf (7) — GROUNDS

18A — Greet criminal, admitting hesitation? One's in a sticky situation up here (3,4) — GUM TREE

20A — Meat in oven's ruined (7) — VENISON

21A — Perhaps trunk and niece's case will contain old seconds (4) — NOSE

22A — Shrub expert's seen by river (4) — ACER

23A — Change key on returning (5) — ALTER

26A — Female water bird is vulnerable (5) — FRAIL

27A — These people rioting occasionally, uproar and sirens? (9) — PRISONERS

28A — Strong emotion about fine European eatery (9,4) — TRANSPORT CAFE

Down

1D — Forget beans, sadly unavailable, and get another dish (4,10) — BEEF STROGANOFF

2D — Actress learning lines, essentially (5) — LOREN

3D — Promote president's vehicles for small charges (10) — PUSHCHAIRS

4D — Proclaim a gin excellent, somewhat fancy (7) — IMAGINE

5D — Sampling T'Pau now and then, and Police singer (7) — TASTING

6D — Cut, grumpy having lost skin (4) — ETCH

7D — Officers get near waves on board ship (9) — SERGEANTS

8D — One meeting Friday in work? (8,6) — ROBINSON CRUSOE

14D — Fairground Attraction, band beginning to argue and fight (10) — ROUNDABOUT

16D — First of breakdowns and Trump sat fidgeting, car needing this? (4-5) — BUMP-START

19D — Bolts engineer sees with cap (7) — ESCAPES

20D — Picture of yogi Trevor's holding up (7) — VERTIGO

24D — Two articles absorbing tense character from Athens (5) — THETA

25D — Small jumper, feminine, bound to be too short (4) — FLEA