Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards

Latest answer — September 18, 2026

25 Across

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Clue explained

ABATES means sinks or diminishes. Take ABBA, the Swedish group, and remove half of its central pair (“half-heartedly”) to leave ABA; add SET (“installed”) backwards, TES.

Clue type:
Abbreviation
A letter diagram showing ABBA reduced to ABA and SET reversed to TES

Telegraph Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 18, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1Long movie, Elizabeth R, upended formula
  2. 4Rum Cola – a cup that's found in Mexico
  3. 9Central elements of gospel echo and echo, losing nothing in delivery
  4. 10Paper hat for a dunce?
  5. 12Catches Conservative coming out for Republican, in ecstasies
  6. 13Notes orders – could be something fishy
  7. 15One holding valuable stock certainly bust after rate fluctuates
  8. 18Follow case in which collaborators oppose the government
  9. 20Enormity when extracting or creating bad blood
  10. 22Inconvenient being unwell before I'm visiting Ted
  11. 24Escaping from kennel, cat's boldly overturned barrier
  12. 25Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards
  13. 26Books written by, say, Fifties degenerate
  14. 27Cloudy ale drunk, end in a bad way

Down

  1. 1You could take a break here, or in lounge
  2. 2Sixties film about star sign pop art – revolutionary
  3. 3"Pier cut performing job with car" – daughter's message from seaside?
  4. 5Dope found in clubs – large amount
  5. 6Officer in charge getting in staff painter
  6. 7Boozer is outspoken initially, times ten
  7. 8I landed in pet's poo running across the street?
  8. 11Warmer at night with a partner?
  9. 14Occasionally dropped flipping jelly baby in red ooze
  10. 16Calculated coming from Budapest – I'm at Edinburgh
  11. 17Chemical compound sustaining a heavenly body
  12. 19Likely Lads singularly funny at first
  13. 21Total over one hundred and 13?
  14. 23Plot to get pot, student's admitted

The answer to “Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards” in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword is ABATES — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 18, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 25-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.

“Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards” answer

ABATES (6 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 ABATES.

What does ABATES mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of ABATES is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(verb)

  • (of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread

When else has “Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards” 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 18, 2026 (most recent) → ABATES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards”?

The answer is ABATES, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards”?

6 letters: ABATES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on September 18, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 25-Across.

Can “Sinks Swedish group half-heartedly installed backwards” 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 18, 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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