A skill in fine material giving lots of options

Latest answer — August 26, 2026

2 Down

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Clue explained

À LA CARTE means offering lots of options rather than a fixed menu. The letters are an anagram of A + ART, a skill, and LACE, a fine material.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A restaurant menu offering separate à la carte dishes.

Times Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 26, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Food bank donation possibly protecting large family
  2. 3March issue taken on by extremely sensible reporter from far-flung places
  3. 9Being a landlord, say, is gratifying, but not at first
  4. 11Satisfying company get-together
  5. 12Earlier on, fashionable parts of Nevada changed to accommodate casinos, primarily
  6. 13Small, lean bird
  7. 14Comic actor looks to take on curt, vacuous Liberal
  8. 18Expert in discounting forged artwork?
  9. 21Orwell piece periodically taken as something of historic interest
  10. 22Enjoy yourself, as many sports require you to?
  11. 24Aristocratic Frenchman’s struggle involving company minutes and report’s conclusion
  12. 25Group split apart by excessive corruption
  13. 26Withdrawal almost reminiscent of past performance
  14. 27Money obtained from somewhat finicky ATM

Down

  1. 1Name one work where, ultimately, she was an inspiration?
  2. 2A skill in fine material giving lots of options
  3. 4Lacking faith, people are generally always negative at first
  4. 5Drove that lady in Paris to join daughter after school
  5. 6Clears up after disordered party boat?
  6. 7Might this affect hearing over time? Yes, correct!
  7. 8Figure having great influence from the second point on
  8. 10Varied comment about very first bit of quote?
  9. 15Unusual artiste — he is the most vulgar
  10. 16Welcome ordinary people accepting king’s funny business
  11. 17Like lofty entertainment on the run?
  12. 19Tees maybe beneath key item in golf bag
  13. 20Bring out drug sanctioned by law
  14. 23Part of book really devoid of excitement at the beginning

The answer to “A skill in fine material giving lots of options” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is ALACARTE — a 8-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 26, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 2-Down. 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.

“A skill in fine material giving lots of options” answer

ALACARTE (8 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 ALACARTE.

When else has “A skill in fine material giving lots of options” appeared?

The Times 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 26, 2026 (most recent) → ALACARTE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “A skill in fine material giving lots of options”?

The answer is ALACARTE, a 8-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 26, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “A skill in fine material giving lots of options”?

8 letters: ALACARTE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 26, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 2-Down.

Can “A skill in fine material giving lots of options” have a different answer?

Yes — The Times 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 Times Cryptic answers?

The full grid for August 26, 2026 is on the Times Cryptic answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

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

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