Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena

Latest answer — September 03, 2026

26 Across

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Clue explained

AMPHITHEATRE means an arena. The wordplay combines AMP, to pressure or amplify, with HIT (“strike”) reduced by removing its trailing T, a tonne or other unit, and THEATRE, an arena: AMP + HI + THEATRE.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A large ancient amphitheatre with stepped seating surrounding its arena.

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 “Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is AMPHITHEATRE — a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 3, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 26-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.

“Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena” answer

AMPHITHEATRE (12 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 AMPHITHEATRE.

What does AMPHITHEATRE mean?

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

(noun)

  • (especially in Greek and Roman architecture) an open circular or oval building with a central space surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators, for the presentation of dramatic or sporting events

When else has “Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena” 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) → AMPHITHEATRE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena”?

The answer is AMPHITHEATRE, a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 3, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena”?

12 letters: AMPHITHEATRE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 3, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 26-Across.

Can “Pressure troops trailing unit to strike arena” 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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