How do I solve 1 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

1 across reads "Greek's hat tickles to an extent" (5 letters); the answer is ATTIC. 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 4 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

4 across reads "For US president, admitting defeat primarily is ruled out" (9 letters); the answer is FORBIDDEN. 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 9 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

9 across reads "Maybe a literary essay, or what its author hopes to avoid?" (9 letters); the answer is CRITICISM. 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 10 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

10 across reads "Distressed copper, tense and out of bed" (3,2 letters); the answer is CUT UP. 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 11 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

11 across reads "Complaint from daughter is no bother" (7 letters); the answer is DISEASE. 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 31261?

12 across reads "Halt a run, unfortunately, having lost husband? Typical!" (7 letters); the answer is NATURAL. 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 13 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

13 across reads "This could be one anaesthetist?" (6 letters); the answer is NUMBER. 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 15 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

15 across reads "Class touched by head's affection" (8 letters); the answer is KINDNESS. 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 18 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

18 across reads "Tops on French mugs" (8 letters); the answer is SURFACES. 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 20 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

20 across reads "Old Republican – a flipping rubbish speechmaker" (6 letters); the answer is ORATOR. 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 23 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

23 across reads "King cut by the whip" (7 letters); the answer is LEATHER. 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 24 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

24 across reads "Support European wife?" (7 letters); the answer is ESPOUSE. 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 26 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

26 across reads "Feeling of satisfaction from parking vehicle" (5 letters); the answer is PRIDE. 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 31261?

27 across reads "Revealed former lover nagged" (9 letters); the answer is EXPRESSED. 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 28 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

28 across reads "Papa begrudged getting introduced" (9 letters); the answer is PRESENTED. 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 29 across in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

29 across reads "Medical department with her missing hospital record" (5 letters); the answer is ENTER. 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 1 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

1 down reads "Stresses about one Democrat's mishaps" (9 letters); the answer is ACCIDENTS. 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 2 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

2 down reads "Gets small bits of wood" (5 letters); the answer is TWIGS. 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 3 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

3 down reads "Calvin regularly ignored friend's mood" (7 letters); the answer is CLIMATE. 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 4 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

4 down reads "Female trouble? Edward's neglected" (6 letters); the answer is FAILED. 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 31261?

5 down reads "Loving Mark Antony? It upset Cleopatra at first" (8 letters); the answer is ROMANTIC. 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 31261?

6 down reads "Encouraged during constant diet changes" (7 letters); the answer is INCITED. 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 7 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

7 down reads "Cleaner put off by information on temperature" (9 letters); the answer is DETERGENT. 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 8 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

8 down reads "Parrot turned up in northern lake, somewhere in South Asia" (5 letters); the answer is NEPAL. 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 31261?

14 down reads "Salt almost preserves fish spread" (9 letters); the answer is MARGARINE. 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 31261?

16 down reads "Concede reader's run off without article" (9 letters); the answer is SURRENDER. 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 17 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

17 down reads "Most jolly times involved squeezing boob" (8 letters); the answer is MERRIEST. 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 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

19 down reads "Realise that is Victor in pain" (7 letters); the answer is ACHIEVE. 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 31261?

21 down reads "Salesman and martial artist outside told initially to get stuffed" (7 letters); the answer is REPLETE. 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 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

22 down reads "Relieved, he left page with editor" (6 letters); the answer is HELPED. 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 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

23 down reads "This could make pal embrace" (3,2 letters); the answer is LAP UP. 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 25 down in Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261?

25 down reads "Anger at university on television" (5 letters); the answer is UPSET. 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.

Daily Telegraph Cryptic 31261 — Answers, Hints & Wordplay Explained

1A — Greek's hat tickles to an extent (5) — ATTIC

Definition
Definition found: 'Greek's' — A nationality can be the straight definition sitting at one end.
Indicator
Indicator found: 'to an extent'
Operation
'to an extent' signals a hidden_word operation
Fodder
Fodder: 'hat tickles'
Assembly
ATTIC = ATTIC

Across

1A — Greek's hat tickles to an extent (5) — ATTIC

4A — For US president, admitting defeat primarily is ruled out (9) — FORBIDDEN

9A — Maybe a literary essay, or what its author hopes to avoid? (9) — CRITICISM

10A — Distressed copper, tense and out of bed (3,2) — CUT UP

11A — Complaint from daughter is no bother (7) — DISEASE

12A — Halt a run, unfortunately, having lost husband? Typical! (7) — NATURAL

13A — This could be one anaesthetist? (6) — NUMBER

15A — Class touched by head's affection (8) — KINDNESS

18A — Tops on French mugs (8) — SURFACES

20A — Old Republican – a flipping rubbish speechmaker (6) — ORATOR

23A — King cut by the whip (7) — LEATHER

24A — Support European wife? (7) — ESPOUSE

26A — Feeling of satisfaction from parking vehicle (5) — PRIDE

27A — Revealed former lover nagged (9) — EXPRESSED

28A — Papa begrudged getting introduced (9) — PRESENTED

29A — Medical department with her missing hospital record (5) — ENTER

Down

1D — Stresses about one Democrat's mishaps (9) — ACCIDENTS

2D — Gets small bits of wood (5) — TWIGS

3D — Calvin regularly ignored friend's mood (7) — CLIMATE

4D — Female trouble? Edward's neglected (6) — FAILED

5D — Loving Mark Antony? It upset Cleopatra at first (8) — ROMANTIC

6D — Encouraged during constant diet changes (7) — INCITED

7D — Cleaner put off by information on temperature (9) — DETERGENT

8D — Parrot turned up in northern lake, somewhere in South Asia (5) — NEPAL

14D — Salt almost preserves fish spread (9) — MARGARINE

16D — Concede reader's run off without article (9) — SURRENDER

17D — Most jolly times involved squeezing boob (8) — MERRIEST

19D — Realise that is Victor in pain (7) — ACHIEVE

21D — Salesman and martial artist outside told initially to get stuffed (7) — REPLETE

22D — Relieved, he left page with editor (6) — HELPED

23D — This could make pal embrace (3,2) — LAP UP

25D — Anger at university on television (5) — UPSET