How do I solve 1 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

1 across reads "Imagine wild cat regularly peered around" (5,2 letters); the answer is DREAM UP. 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 5 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

5 across reads "Miser's self-regard or empty callousness returned" (7 letters); the answer is SCROOGE. 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 9 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

9 across reads "Conman Mark visited by Madame" (7 letters); the answer is SCAMMER. 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 31254?

10 across reads "Bright light in the sky troubles sailor" (3,4 letters); the answer is DOG STAR. 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 11 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

11 across reads "Officer parking by new coalmine" (9 letters); the answer is POLICEMAN. 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 12 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

12 across reads "Confess Cambridge University's on notice" (5 letters); the answer is ADMIT. 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 13 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

13 across reads "Northern guys ignoring lead sculptures out of habit?" (5 letters); the answer is NUDES. 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 15 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

15 across reads "Number for Spice Girl making a comeback? That's fine!" (2,7 letters); the answer is NO PROBLEM. 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 17 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

17 across reads "Gaelic bar cryptically using symbols instead of numbers" (9 letters); the answer is ALGEBRAIC. 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 19 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

19 across reads "Board members and former partners retaining copyright" (5 letters); the answer is EXECS. 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 22 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

22 across reads "Change a minute tip" (5 letters); the answer is AMEND. 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 23 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

23 across reads "Cut strange, extremely porous wood" (4,5 letters); the answer is RUMP STEAK. 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 25 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

25 across reads "Husband aghast, changing social media feature" (7 letters); the answer is HASHTAG. 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 31254?

26 across reads "Smartypants with Kelvin these days barely calls" (4-3 letters); the answer is KNOW-ALL. 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 27 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

27 across reads "French philosopher produced rent, on reflection" (7 letters); the answer is DIDEROT. It's a reversal clue: the answer is a word read backwards. Look for indicators like 'back', 'returned', or — in a down clue — 'up' or 'lifted'. Find the source word and reverse it. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 28 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

28 across reads "Apricot tagine includes cheese" (7 letters); the answer is RICOTTA. 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 1 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

1 down reads "Stand-up moving cleaner's equipment" (7 letters); the answer is DUSTPAN. 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 31254?

2 down reads "Messaged English servant about French article" (7 letters); the answer is EMAILED. 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 3 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

3 down reads "A pair of notes about copy" (5 letters); the answer is MIMIC. 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 31254?

4 down reads "Soppy Romanian harbours burning desire" (9 letters); the answer is PYROMANIA. 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 5 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

5 down reads "American revolutionary ultimately obtained visa again for country" (5 letters); the answer is SUDAN. It's a reversal clue: the answer is a word read backwards. Look for indicators like 'back', 'returned', or — in a down clue — 'up' or 'lifted'. Find the source word and reverse it. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 6 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

6 down reads "Doctor runs over prodding Tom perhaps in complicated procedure" (9 letters); the answer is RIGMAROLE. 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 7 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

7 down reads "Best stone worn by Henman?" (7 letters); the answer is OPTIMAL. 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 8 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

8 down reads "Two hesitant expressions encapsulating traitor's mistake" (7 letters); the answer is ERRATUM. 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 14 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

14 down reads "Newspaper employee hopeful lover's collecting cot" (9 letters); the answer is SUBEDITOR. 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 16 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

16 down reads "Gerry's backing musician showing a bit of heart" (9 letters); the answer is PACEMAKER. 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 17 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

17 down reads "Embarrassed and humbled touring hospital" (7 letters); the answer is ABASHED. 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 18 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

18 down reads "Thought visitor outspoken" (7 letters); the answer is GUESSED. It's a homophone clue: the answer sounds like another word. Indicators like 'reportedly', 'we hear', or 'sounds like' point to a word that's pronounced similarly to the answer. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

How do I solve 20 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

20 down reads "Graceful eastern soldier holding on" (7 letters); the answer is ELEGANT. 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 21 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

21 down reads "Last kid swimming for island group" (2,5 letters); the answer is ST KILDA. 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 23 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

23 down reads "Scares unclothed Conservative" (5 letters); the answer is RIGHT. 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 24 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254?

24 down reads "Small involuntary movement after receiving Oscar for Marcus Aurelius?" (5 letters); the answer is STOIC. 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.

Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31254 — Answers, Hints & Wordplay Explained

1A — Imagine wild cat regularly peered around (5,2) — DREAM UP

Definition
Definition found: 'Imagine'
Indicator
Indicator found: 'regularly'
Operation
'regularly' signals a letter_selection operation
Fodder
Fodder: 'peered'
Indicator
Indicator found: 'around'
Operation
'around' signals a anagram operation
Fodder
Fodder: 'wild cat peered'
Synonym
Synonyms spotted: 'wild cat' → PUMA
Assembly
ERD + PUMA > ERDPUMA = DREAMUP

Across

1A — Imagine wild cat regularly peered around (5,2) — DREAM UP

5A — Miser's self-regard or empty callousness returned (7) — SCROOGE

9A — Conman Mark visited by Madame (7) — SCAMMER

10A — Bright light in the sky troubles sailor (3,4) — DOG STAR

11A — Officer parking by new coalmine (9) — POLICEMAN

12A — Confess Cambridge University's on notice (5) — ADMIT

13A — Northern guys ignoring lead sculptures out of habit? (5) — NUDES

15A — Number for Spice Girl making a comeback? That's fine! (2,7) — NO PROBLEM

17A — Gaelic bar cryptically using symbols instead of numbers (9) — ALGEBRAIC

19A — Board members and former partners retaining copyright (5) — EXECS

22A — Change a minute tip (5) — AMEND

23A — Cut strange, extremely porous wood (4,5) — RUMP STEAK

25A — Husband aghast, changing social media feature (7) — HASHTAG

26A — Smartypants with Kelvin these days barely calls (4-3) — KNOW-ALL

27A — French philosopher produced rent, on reflection (7) — DIDEROT

28A — Apricot tagine includes cheese (7) — RICOTTA

Down

1D — Stand-up moving cleaner's equipment (7) — DUSTPAN

2D — Messaged English servant about French article (7) — EMAILED

3D — A pair of notes about copy (5) — MIMIC

4D — Soppy Romanian harbours burning desire (9) — PYROMANIA

5D — American revolutionary ultimately obtained visa again for country (5) — SUDAN

6D — Doctor runs over prodding Tom perhaps in complicated procedure (9) — RIGMAROLE

7D — Best stone worn by Henman? (7) — OPTIMAL

8D — Two hesitant expressions encapsulating traitor's mistake (7) — ERRATUM

14D — Newspaper employee hopeful lover's collecting cot (9) — SUBEDITOR

16D — Gerry's backing musician showing a bit of heart (9) — PACEMAKER

17D — Embarrassed and humbled touring hospital (7) — ABASHED

18D — Thought visitor outspoken (7) — GUESSED

20D — Graceful eastern soldier holding on (7) — ELEGANT

21D — Last kid swimming for island group (2,5) — ST KILDA

23D — Scares unclothed Conservative (5) — RIGHT

24D — Small involuntary movement after receiving Oscar for Marcus Aurelius? (5) — STOIC