Naked servant is bitter?

Latest answer — September 18, 2026

26 Down

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Clue explained

ALE is a bitter beer, hence “bitter?” with the question mark acknowledging the descriptive pun. It is VALET, a servant, stripped of its outer letters (“naked”).

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A pint of amber ale in a beer glass.

Times 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. 1North Italian drinking with assistant
  2. 8First-class setter beginning to take plunge
  3. 10Hide scam with proof of authenticity for auditor
  4. 11Eighty winks? An indefinite number? Thirteen?
  5. 12Deny Nick in London has lost weight
  6. 15Phoebe’s granddaughter uncovered difficult Times cryptic
  7. 16Designer’s outlay? I’m not sure that is right
  8. 19Dialect in Barking is exactly the same
  9. 20Maybe Trump snubbed new tanning agent
  10. 22Label unknown spirit
  11. 23Athenian statesman in capital, powerless to lead trends
  12. 25City’s fashionable past
  13. 27Watery discharge contains nickel and another metal
  14. 28Soldier on a grave

Down

  1. 1Ornament in mostly pleasant facility
  2. 2Chap’s neck hair cut
  3. 3Metal pick’s head covered by earth
  4. 4Give an account of folk hero
  5. 5What free traders want: better country, but without leaders
  6. 6Penny and Henry, perhaps, claiming daughter is expert
  7. 7Son can get stopped, primarily, in police operations
  8. 9Second African national smuggling Charlie for another
  9. 13Attempt to convert try, and stretch one’s back to prepare
  10. 14Romeo is in with doctor about mother’s problem with hydration
  11. 17Perhaps sparkly kilts are unusual
  12. 18Weapon of Scottish fighter Ali, once again
  13. 20Insufficient silver in lake
  14. 21Onus, essentially, on work that’s obtained by exerting significant pressure
  15. 24Mark has carried boxes
  16. 26Naked servant is bitter?

The answer to “Naked servant is bitter?” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is ALE — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 18, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 26-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.

“Naked servant is bitter?” answer

ALE (3 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 ALE.

What does ALE mean?

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

(noun)

  • any beer other than lager, stout, or porter

When else has “Naked servant is bitter?” 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Naked servant is bitter?”?

The answer is ALE, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Naked servant is bitter?”?

3 letters: ALE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 18, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 26-Down.

Can “Naked servant is bitter?” 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 September 18, 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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