Network, groove, and fool around like night owls

Latest answer — September 03, 2026

6 Down

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Clue explained

NOCTURNAL means active or occurring at night, hence “like night owls”. It is an anagram of NETWORK and a groove, RUT, with the resulting letters rearranged as indicated by “around”: NETWORK + RUT → NOCTURNAL.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
An owl perched outdoors at night under moonlight.

Times Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Thursday, September 03, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Playing online as no good, grasping spies hacked Gmail
  2. 9Several performing? In hindsight, slightly fewer
  3. 10School keeps toilet within another, a sluggish one
  4. 11Really poor casting or poor performance of part?
  5. 12Laid out voguish drug after drink
  6. 13Accepted both sides in Anfield wearing baseball gear?
  7. 15Youthful new lover consumed by sex
  8. 17Boundary one put up with no area inside
  9. 18Completely misguided artist wearing backless fleece jumper
  10. 20Offensive “cheers” when returning food
  11. 21A reservoir selling water
  12. 24European place, not quite wild Vienna
  13. 25Improviser initially overwhelmed by jazz chord
  14. 26Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena

Down

  1. 1Booze worked as vocalist spun melody
  2. 2Left in African river, missionary expedition’s leaders share mass
  3. 3Set about being contrary?
  4. 4Crude American releasing small amount of rude material
  5. 5Setting for Wuthering Heights or Othello?
  6. 6Network, groove, and fool around like night owls
  7. 7Fantastic composer, calm at grand, with Salieri getting upset
  8. 8Potential danger hospital is boring nurse
  9. 14Picture best supporting actor, half-cut
  10. 16Duke feeding Henry egg prepared with needles
  11. 17Animal sounds reported to cook
  12. 19Late public music performance completely out of time
  13. 22Wrong item to go round rabbi’s head?
  14. 23Fibrous part taken from scampi, thankfully

The answer to “Network, groove, and fool around like night owls” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is NOCTURNAL — a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 3, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 6-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.

“Network, groove, and fool around like night owls” answer

NOCTURNAL (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 NOCTURNAL.

What does NOCTURNAL mean?

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

(adjective)

  • done, occurring, or active at night

When else has “Network, groove, and fool around like night owls” 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 3, 2026 (most recent) → NOCTURNAL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Network, groove, and fool around like night owls”?

The answer is NOCTURNAL, a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 3, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Network, groove, and fool around like night owls”?

9 letters: NOCTURNAL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 3, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 6-Down.

Can “Network, groove, and fool around like night owls” 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 3, 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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