Reason I won't fire

Latest answer — August 19, 2026

18 Down

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Clue explained

INFERNO is a large fire. It is formed from INFER (“reason”) followed by NO, expressing “I won’t” as a refusal: INFER + NO → INFERNO.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A large fire burning with intense flames.

Times Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 19, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1City ace adopts suitable position when international's dropped
  2. 6The setter's wife getting very first watch
  3. 10Roof of school building's entrance on left
  4. 11Cathartic phone conversation about love and marriage on vacation
  5. 12Shortly key Conservative opens SEND festival
  6. 13Friend's current game on live
  7. 14Small wings on primitive bird
  8. 15Will magazine for teachers tone down coverage of NASUWT?
  9. 17Stopping rock star on live being punched by Republican
  10. 20Some red raw, now fatigued
  11. 21Regularly quiz nobleman, mostly about invasive species
  12. 23Validate African country's concerning energy reserves
  13. 25Quietly leaving bread portion on the counter for rat
  14. 26More wet naked cats adopted by sister
  15. 27Revolutionary possibly does grass
  16. 28Flag extremely nasty gore, beginning to retch

Down

  1. 1Study one of Plato's letters on retired boxer
  2. 2Someone putting forward candidate's motion ran for Reform
  3. 3That woman's bed contains a second resigned prime minister
  4. 4Betrayal of subversive group reportedly revealed
  5. 5Stirs up old urban areas abandoned by India
  6. 7Doctors cutting two twisted feet
  7. 8Leave with first-class boor, running to catch the end of Sherlock
  8. 9Secretive Barking dockland garage
  9. 14Delirious partners holding king and joker
  10. 16Testing times in the morning at home with topless person outside
  11. 18Reason I won't fire
  12. 19Young lady bored by seeing that primarily ornamental stone
  13. 22Hang troubled padre
  14. 24Literal child who misbehaves after temperature's taken

The answer to “Reason I won't fire” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is INFERNO — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 19, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 18-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.

“Reason I won't fire” answer

INFERNO (7 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 INFERNO.

What does INFERNO mean?

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

(noun)

  • a large fire that is dangerously out of control
  • hell (with reference to Dante's Divine Comedy)

When else has “Reason I won't fire” 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 19, 2026 (most recent) → INFERNO. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Reason I won't fire”?

The answer is INFERNO, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 19, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Reason I won't fire”?

7 letters: INFERNO.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 19, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 18-Down.

Can “Reason I won't fire” 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 19, 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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