Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead

Latest answer — September 14, 2026

8 Down

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Clue explained

OYSTERS are “reticent ones”, figuratively closed-mouthed people. The wordplay places Y, the conventional crossword abbreviation for an unknown quantity, among the market-trader wording, with the question mark allowing the oyster-market surface.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
Open and closed oysters displayed at a seafood market

Times Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Monday, September 14, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Get elected introducing key source of green electricity
  2. 6Leave nought as capital
  3. 9How people greeted extreme wintry forecast?
  4. 10Saint Africans beheaded cruelly
  5. 11Motorway’s ending in interchange to the west part of Wales
  6. 13Puzzle of old drunk found in southern river
  7. 14I’m back in Toledo’s fantastic mountains
  8. 16I’m not responding to that amorous advance
  9. 18British demand to lie in the sun
  10. 19Putting coat on outside a cape is soothing
  11. 22Ministers’ housing concerning Conservative politicians
  12. 24Language heard in North Dakota and Iowa primarily
  13. 25Some land and race round in time
  14. 26Audibly disapprove of neckwear and footwear
  15. 28Country recalled party’s prestige
  16. 29Able to stretch out by quiet area of garden

Down

  1. 1Like many presents wife criticised
  2. 2Nothing American escapes arrest
  3. 3Humorous theatre in the East End?
  4. 4Small county flags
  5. 5Sells tickets to win one first-class big-flowered plant
  6. 6Book Torquay, mostly touring
  7. 7Oil in tin can awkwardly leaning
  8. 8Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead
  9. 12Spa’s energy restored to health very fast
  10. 15Drunken behaviour ends entertaining functions
  11. 17Water additive a cause of potential damage at Aquae Sulis?
  12. 18Loudly criticise pub’s space for glasses?
  13. 20Unappealing lees at bottom in reserve port
  14. 21Print small book
  15. 23Dignified honour accepted by senior
  16. 27Agency working in US reserve

The answer to “Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is OYSTERS — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 14, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 8-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.

“Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead” answer

OYSTERS (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 OYSTERS.

What does OYSTERS mean?

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

(noun)

  • any of a number of bivalve molluscs with rough irregular shells. Several kinds are eaten (especially raw) as a delicacy and may be farmed for food or pearls
  • a shade of greyish white
  • an oyster-shaped morsel of meat on each side of the backbone in poultry

When else has “Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead” 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 14, 2026 (most recent) → OYSTERS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead”?

The answer is OYSTERS, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 14, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead”?

7 letters: OYSTERS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 14, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 8-Down.

Can “Reticent ones unknown among market traders taking the lead” 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 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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