How do I solve 1 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

1 across reads "Snakeskin shoe?" (8 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 5 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

5 across reads "Tipsy chef’s hidden spirit" (6 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 10 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

10 across reads "Name a song about a wild animal" (5 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 11 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

11 across reads "Pirate very briefly at sea?" (9 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 12 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

12 across reads "Nice expression of a woman’s involvement?" (8,2,5 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 13 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

13 across reads "It leads in pace in races quite unexpectedly" (10 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 15 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

15 across reads "Fly over low zone" (4 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 18 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

18 across reads "No winner in this raffle" (4 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 19 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

19 across reads "Show how to go from tube to Barking?" (5-5 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 21 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

21 across reads "Power which a body still has" (9,6 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 23 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

23 across reads "Good game, but learner’s missed turn" (9 letters). 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). Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 24 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

24 across reads "Not so safe to swim across lake" (5 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 25 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

25 across reads "Makes off-peak calls?" (6 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 26 across in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

26 across reads "Adds water to cover costs, it’s said" (8 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 1 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

1 down reads "Groomed fellow and I smoked together" (9 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 2 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

2 down reads "Bloke almost getting iron to act as rubber" (5 letters). 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). Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 3 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

3 down reads "Lawless as a US drug agent here in Rome" (8 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 4 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

4 down reads "As artists, they take off" (14 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 6 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

6 down reads "Isle of Man area" (6 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 7 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

7 down reads "Pop musician’s last notes entertaining a lot" (5,4 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 8 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

8 down reads "Watch over river, one that’s home to eagles" (5 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 9 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

9 down reads "Is it, from ground, literally fired?" (5,9 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 14 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

14 down reads "Put up and cut up" (9 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 16 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

16 down reads "Poor? Only seems so!" (9 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 17 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

17 down reads "Put up with champion" (5,3 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 20 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

20 down reads "Cancel collecting a yearbook" (6 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 21 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

21 down reads "A girl’s daddy?" (5 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

How do I solve 22 down in Times Cryptic 5220 without spoilers?

22 down reads "After climbing, worker on roof fired again" (5 letters). 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. Work the structure step by step in the trainer — definition first, then the wordplay parts — with the answer kept hidden until the prize closes.

Times Cryptic 5220 — Prize Puzzle

Published 2026-06-14

🏆 Prize Puzzle — hints without spoilers.

Stuck on a clue? Every clue below has step-by-step hints, the wordplay structure, and a convention lookup — work out the definition, the technique, and the indicator words yourself, without seeing the answer. Full solutions and wordplay appear here once the competition closes on 21 June 2026.

Across

1A — Snakeskin shoe? (8)

Definition
The whole clue is one cryptic definition — read it laterally.
Indicator
Indicator found: ''
Wordplay
Wordplay: Cryptic definition

Across

1A — Snakeskin shoe? (8)

5A — Tipsy chef’s hidden spirit (6)

10A — Name a song about a wild animal (5)

11A — Pirate very briefly at sea? (9)

12A — Nice expression of a woman’s involvement? (8,2,5)

13A — It leads in pace in races quite unexpectedly (10)

15A — Fly over low zone (4)

18A — No winner in this raffle (4)

19A — Show how to go from tube to Barking? (5-5)

21A — Power which a body still has (9,6)

23A — Good game, but learner’s missed turn (9)

24A — Not so safe to swim across lake (5)

25A — Makes off-peak calls? (6)

26A — Adds water to cover costs, it’s said (8)

Down

1D — Groomed fellow and I smoked together (9)

2D — Bloke almost getting iron to act as rubber (5)

3D — Lawless as a US drug agent here in Rome (8)

4D — As artists, they take off (14)

6D — Isle of Man area (6)

7D — Pop musician’s last notes entertaining a lot (5,4)

8D — Watch over river, one that’s home to eagles (5)

9D — Is it, from ground, literally fired? (5,9)

14D — Put up and cut up (9)

16D — Poor? Only seems so! (9)

17D — Put up with champion (5,3)

20D — Cancel collecting a yearbook (6)

21D — A girl’s daddy? (5)

22D — After climbing, worker on roof fired again (5)