How do I solve 1 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

1 across reads "Psychiatrist’s contract" (6 letters); the answer is SHRINK. 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 5 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

5 across reads "Site contains a magnificent residence" (6 letters); the answer is PALACE. 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 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

8 across reads "Extremely clever reviser of text, to whom I’m indebted" (8 letters); the answer is CREDITOR. 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 Times Cryptic 3303?

9 across reads "Prepare to swallow cold cut" (4 letters); the answer is CHEW. 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 10 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

10 across reads "Turn on waterworks with very little pressure" (4 letters); the answer is WEEP. 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 Times Cryptic 3303?

11 across reads "Little flower in cold fall" (8 letters); the answer is SNOWDROP. 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 Times Cryptic 3303?

12 across reads "A maths broadcast is source of inspiring problems" (6 letters); the answer is ASTHMA. 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 14 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

14 across reads "Divides up bulbs for cooking (not the first two)" (6 letters); the answer is ALLOTS. 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 16 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

16 across reads "Messy room used for lengthy sleeper" (8 letters); the answer is DORMOUSE. 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 18 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

18 across reads "Cloak and headgear, last of range" (4 letters); the answer is CAPE. 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 20 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

20 across reads "Heads turned in shock" (4 letters); the answer is STUN. 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 21 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

21 across reads "Partly shaved heads of thugs on news somehow upset residents every day" (8 letters); the answer is TONSURED. 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 23 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

23 across reads "Old, unusually clear prophecy" (6 letters); the answer is ORACLE. 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 24 across in Times Cryptic 3303?

24 across reads "Study American country’s energy" (6 letters); the answer is PERUSE. 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 2 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

2 down reads "Large crowd he’s taken round old road" (5 letters); the answer is HORDE. 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 Times Cryptic 3303?

3 down reads "Giving full details of home department hotel" (2-5 letters); the answer is INDEPTH. 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 Times Cryptic 3303?

4 down reads "Sportswear set for assembly" (3 letters); the answer is KIT. 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 5 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

5 down reads "Act almost had to go through" (9 letters); the answer is PERFORATE. 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 6 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

6 down reads "Clear openings for lawbreakers upset detectives" (5 letters); the answer is LUCID. 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 Times Cryptic 3303?

7 down reads "Brave guy in bed for a smoke" (7 letters); the answer is CHEROOT. 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 11 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

11 down reads "Perhaps Oscar Wilde caught at last, breaking law" (9 letters); the answer is STATUETTE. 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 13 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

13 down reads "Mobility device firm put in store for renovation" (7 letters); the answer is SCOOTER. 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 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

15 down reads "Caught one without protective coat" (7 letters); the answer is LACQUER. 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 17 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

17 down reads "Person in charge is frantically busy" (5 letters); the answer is MANIC. 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 19 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

19 down reads "Iron the newspapers" (5 letters); the answer is PRESS. 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 22 down in Times Cryptic 3303?

22 down reads "Small bite and small drink" (3 letters); the answer is NIP. 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.

Times Cryptic 3303 — Answers, Hints & Wordplay Explained

1A — Psychiatrist’s contract (6) — SHRINK

Definition
The whole clue is the definition — both halves define the answer.
Indicator
Indicator found: ''
Wordplay
Wordplay: Double definition
Definition
first definition: 'Psychiatrist’s' — The first definition is 'Psychiatrist’s' — a shrink is a colloquial name for a psychiatrist.
Definition
second definition: 'contract' — The second definition is 'contract' — to shrink means to contract.
Assembly
SHRINK = SHRINK

Across

1A — Psychiatrist’s contract (6) — SHRINK

5A — Site contains a magnificent residence (6) — PALACE

8A — Extremely clever reviser of text, to whom I’m indebted (8) — CREDITOR

9A — Prepare to swallow cold cut (4) — CHEW

10A — Turn on waterworks with very little pressure (4) — WEEP

11A — Little flower in cold fall (8) — SNOWDROP

12A — A maths broadcast is source of inspiring problems (6) — ASTHMA

14A — Divides up bulbs for cooking (not the first two) (6) — ALLOTS

16A — Messy room used for lengthy sleeper (8) — DORMOUSE

18A — Cloak and headgear, last of range (4) — CAPE

20A — Heads turned in shock (4) — STUN

21A — Partly shaved heads of thugs on news somehow upset residents every day (8) — TONSURED

23A — Old, unusually clear prophecy (6) — ORACLE

24A — Study American country’s energy (6) — PERUSE

Down

2D — Large crowd he’s taken round old road (5) — HORDE

3D — Giving full details of home department hotel (2-5) — INDEPTH

4D — Sportswear set for assembly (3) — KIT

5D — Act almost had to go through (9) — PERFORATE

6D — Clear openings for lawbreakers upset detectives (5) — LUCID

7D — Brave guy in bed for a smoke (7) — CHEROOT

11D — Perhaps Oscar Wilde caught at last, breaking law (9) — STATUETTE

13D — Mobility device firm put in store for renovation (7) — SCOOTER

15D — Caught one without protective coat (7) — LACQUER

17D — Person in charge is frantically busy (5) — MANIC

19D — Iron the newspapers (5) — PRESS

22D — Small bite and small drink (3) — NIP