Prepare to fight Conservative from France

Latest answer — September 21, 2026

20 Across

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Clue explained

SQUARE OFF means prepare to fight, usually by taking up a confrontational stance. The answer is the standard two-word phrasal verb indicated by the definition.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
Two boxers facing each other before a fight

Telegraph Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Monday, September 21, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1A little helper for mum's do
  2. 5Opposition to change in slum did badly
  3. 9Upset, I panic shy doctor
  4. 10Munch nuts, shelled and whole
  5. 11Scottish singer lout regularly put on repeat
  6. 12Wild hen gets on English monument
  7. 13Amusing guards run, dribbling
  8. 16Independent politician's a troublemaker
  9. 191950s youth finally cut the mustard
  10. 20Prepare to fight Conservative from France
  11. 22Shun a bleak moving firm
  12. 25Protest comedy from the right lacks boundaries
  13. 27Fleshy fruit picked, primarily
  14. 28Perhaps batsman caught, less stable after losing international
  15. 29Vacuous thinker finished and went viral on social media
  16. 30Gosh, punched by South African capital's big cheese

Down

  1. 1Live in ramshackle Aleppo hut, not hotel
  2. 2Organisation that exists to make money?
  3. 3God's love leads to divine inspiration normally
  4. 4Keeps Republican away from principal tutors
  5. 5Russian leader left Benin, having ousted leader
  6. 6More resolute bank propping up cash
  7. 7Ancient civilisation's food container missing lid
  8. 8Mum's hesitant expression, holding up flying insect
  9. 14Held to ransom, fool slept
  10. 15Demanding thin porridge and fish
  11. 17Defended professional court in tweed, having ditched wife
  12. 18Certainly astray, but with only one fine
  13. 21Model's young dog and cat?
  14. 23Impudent behaviour is beginning, according to reports
  15. 24Bowed and served brilliantly, welcoming king
  16. 26Regularly cook great edible plant

The answer to “Prepare to fight Conservative from France” in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword is SQUAREOFF — a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 21, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 20-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Prepare to fight Conservative from France” answer

SQUAREOFF (9 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is SQUAREOFF.

When else has “Prepare to fight Conservative from France” appeared?

The Telegraph Cryptic reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 21, 2026 (most recent) → SQUAREOFF. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Prepare to fight Conservative from France”?

The answer is SQUAREOFF, a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 21, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Prepare to fight Conservative from France”?

9 letters: SQUAREOFF.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 21, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 20-Across.

Can “Prepare to fight Conservative from France” have a different answer?

Yes — The Telegraph Cryptic sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's Telegraph Cryptic answers?

The full grid for September 21, 2026 is on the Telegraph Cryptic answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

The Telegraph Cryptic Crossword is published by The Telegraph; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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