Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?

Latest answer — August 18, 2026

1 Across

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Clue explained

WARSHIP is a dangerous thing “in the main” (at sea). It combines WARS, formed by putting R (Republican) into WAS, with HIP (“popular”).

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A naval warship sailing at sea

Telegraph Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, August 18, 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. 1Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?
  2. 5Harry ultimately drives black and white diggers
  3. 9Confuse old boy with second course of treatment
  4. 10Most excellent drink – remember? Not half!
  5. 11In favour of exam? Edward expressed opposition
  6. 12Cook in oven or pan
  7. 13Tries displacing river birds
  8. 15Parisian in bar fight
  9. 17Pulled in cart at ground with Ted
  10. 19Ecstasy as golfer oddly gets score of two under par
  11. 22A piece is cut off
  12. 23Quietly muttered we'd perish at sea
  13. 25Observing this writer, for example, pinching money
  14. 26Starts to cry loudly, improving friend's mood
  15. 27Editor turns and notices plans
  16. 28Secret agent, with no pressure, checks arrangements

Down

  1. 1Pork pie with insect underneath
  2. 2Fix section of armrest – or else!
  3. 3Building hotel next to river
  4. 4Pert bust initially trembling under items of clothing – most fetching
  5. 5Located a shilling in the sack
  6. 6Leaving reader put out
  7. 7Stylish European on stage with a set of books
  8. 8Use bad language about bounds of triple jumper
  9. 14Frightening bird protecting rear of nest
  10. 16Things chaps once put on fish slices
  11. 17Almost everyone bearing weapons is agitated
  12. 18Little time before French composer's journeys
  13. 20Rubbish clothing wise man first ignored
  14. 21Non-stop lewdness aroused no wife
  15. 23Stitch up involving a good salary
  16. 24Pokes one's nose in cup, perhaps, by the sound of it

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main? — Answer: WARSHIP. Hint: Think of a naval vessel built for combat. ⚓
  2. 5. Harry ultimately drives black and white diggers — Answer: BADGERS. Hint: These black-and-white diggers are nocturnal mammals. 🦡
  3. 9. Confuse old boy with second course of treatment — Answer: OBSCURE. Hint: It means to make something difficult to understand or see clearly. 🌫️
  4. 10. Most excellent drink – remember? Not half! — Answer: SUPREME. Hint: This describes something of the very highest quality. 👑
  5. 11. In favour of exam? Edward expressed opposition — Answer: PROTESTED. Hint: It means expressed strong disagreement or opposition. ✊
  6. 12. Cook in oven or pan — Answer: ROAST. Hint: Choose the cooking method that uses dry heat, often in an oven. 🍖
  7. 13. Tries displacing river birds — Answer: RHEAS. Hint: These large flightless birds resemble ostriches and live in South America. 🐦
  8. 15. Parisian in bar fight — Answer: ENCOUNTER. Hint: A meeting or confrontation, especially an unexpected one, fits here. 🤝
  9. 17. Pulled in cart at ground with Ted — Answer: ATTRACTED. Hint: It means drew something toward oneself or sparked interest. 🧲
  10. 19. Ecstasy as golfer oddly gets score of two under par — Answer: EAGLE. Hint: In golf, this score is two strokes under par on a hole. ⛳
  11. 22. A piece is cut off — Answer: APART. Hint: This means separated or at a distance from one another. ↔️
  12. 23. Quietly muttered we'd perish at sea — Answer: WHISPERED. Hint: This describes speaking very softly. 🤫
  13. 25. Observing this writer, for example, pinching money — Answer: MEETING. Hint: It can mean coming together, or an event where people gather. 👥
  14. 26. Starts to cry loudly, improving friend's mood — Answer: CLIMATE. Hint: This is the general pattern of weather in a region. 🌦️
  15. 27. Editor turns and notices plans — Answer: DESIGNS. Hint: These are plans or patterns created for a purpose. 📐
  16. 28. Secret agent, with no pressure, checks arrangements — Answer: SYSTEMS. Hint: These are organized sets of connected parts or procedures. ⚙️

Down

  1. 1. Pork pie with insect underneath — Answer: WHOPPER. Hint: Think of an unusually large thing, or a famously hefty burger. 🍔
  2. 2. Fix section of armrest – or else! — Answer: RESTORE. Hint: It means to repair or return something to its former condition. 🛠️
  3. 3. Building hotel next to river — Answer: HOUSE. Hint: This can be a building for living in, or a place of business or entertainment. 🏠
  4. 4. Pert bust initially trembling under items of clothing – most fetching — Answer: PRETTIEST. Hint: This describes the most attractive or charming member of a group. ✨
  5. 5. Located a shilling in the sack — Answer: BASED. Hint: Think of a word meaning situated, with a sack and an old coin supplying the wordplay. 🪙
  6. 6. Leaving reader put out — Answer: DEPARTURE. Hint: A formal noun for going away also suggests being put out or sent off. 🚪
  7. 7. Stylish European on stage with a set of books — Answer: ELEGANT. Hint: This adjective means stylish, with wordplay involving a European, a theatrical platform, and books. 📚
  8. 8. Use bad language about bounds of triple jumper — Answer: SWEATER. Hint: A familiar garment is built around a term for using bad language and the outer letters of a jumper. 🧶
  9. 14. Frightening bird protecting rear of nest — Answer: STARTLING. Hint: A scary adjective shelters a songbird and the back letter of a home. 🐦
  10. 16. Things chaps once put on fish slices — Answer: CODPIECES. Hint: These obsolete men's garments share their name with something served in seafood portions. 🐟
  11. 17. Almost everyone bearing weapons is agitated — Answer: ALARMED. Hint: Think of a synonym for agitated, assembled from nearly all people and weapons. ⚔️
  12. 18. Little time before French composer's journeys — Answer: TRAVELS. Hint: A short period precedes a surname associated with French classical music to make these journeys. 🎼
  13. 20. Rubbish clothing wise man first ignored — Answer: GARBAGE. Hint: A word for rubbish combines clothing with a wise person's name after its opening letter is removed. 🗑️
  14. 21. Non-stop lewdness aroused no wife — Answer: ENDLESS. Hint: A word meaning non-stop emerges when an indecent term is rearranged after its marital abbreviation is removed. 🔄
  15. 23. Stitch up involving a good salary — Answer: WAGES. Hint: This plural noun simply refers to money earned for work. 💰
  16. 24. Pokes one's nose in cup, perhaps, by the sound of it — Answer: PRIES. Hint: This intrusive verb sounds like what one might win in a competition. 🏆

The answer to “Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?” in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword is WARSHIP — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on August 18, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 1-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.

“Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?” answer

WARSHIP (7 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 WARSHIP.

What does WARSHIP mean?

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

(noun)

  • a ship equipped with weapons and designed to take part in warfare at sea

When else has “Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?” 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.

August 18, 2026 (most recent) → WARSHIP. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?”?

The answer is WARSHIP, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on August 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?”?

7 letters: WARSHIP.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Telegraph Cryptic crossword on August 18, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 1-Across.

Can “Was keeping Republican popular a dangerous thing in the main?” 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 August 18, 2026 is on the Telegraph Cryptic answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

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