Periodically used social lubricant

Latest answer — August 14, 2026

24 Down

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Clue explained

Oil is a lubricant, and it is obtained by taking alternate letters of sOcIaL. “Periodically” signals this extraction, while “social” supplies the letters and “lubricant” defines the answer.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
Lubricating oil being applied to a bicycle chain.

Times Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Friday, August 14, 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. 1City function subsequently returned food
  2. 7Desire sex next to church
  3. 9Painter’s second drink ending in disaster
  4. 10Go after South American’s heavenly body
  5. 11One who’s gone home, leaving home later than Charlie
  6. 13Slapdash stroke across second and third in Gleneagles
  7. 14Rogue helpers upset homeless person
  8. 17Lecturer collects a scrap item of old farmyard machinery
  9. 20Pursue around St Ives, primarily to rebuke
  10. 21Predecessor of King George IV rebuffed capital
  11. 22King and jack, perhaps, or two other high cards?
  12. 23French commune organised retrospective — good for them!
  13. 25Smackhead zealously guards cutting tool
  14. 26County snubbed very famous artist, possibly

Down

  1. 2Conservative dignitary uncovered old documents, reportedly
  2. 3Aspire to shorten first part of track and field event
  3. 4Only performs with new material
  4. 5Content of putrid, cold ulcer regularly ignored in part of ear
  5. 6Eatery harbours a penetrating germ on the counter
  6. 7Fanatical about volatile cleaner’s bigotry
  7. 8Run into trees, and be unable to stop laughing
  8. 12Maybe circles princess in dance on ice?
  9. 15Sordid aspect of naval weapons close to Belarus
  10. 16Writes about square hills
  11. 18Former Queen Elizabeth’s introduction confused a loner
  12. 19Protective equipment started to hold line
  13. 21Church official cut grass next to road
  14. 24Periodically used social lubricant

The answer to “Periodically used social lubricant” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is OIL — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 14, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 24-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.

“Periodically used social lubricant” answer

OIL (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 OIL.

What does OIL mean?

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

(noun)

  • a viscous liquid derived from petroleum, especially for use as a fuel or lubricant
  • oil paint
  • information or facts

When else has “Periodically used social lubricant” 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 14, 2026 (most recent) → OIL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Periodically used social lubricant”?

The answer is OIL, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 14, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Periodically used social lubricant”?

3 letters: OIL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 14, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 24-Down.

Can “Periodically used social lubricant” 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 14, 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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