Steward’s office surprisingly unsophisticated, needing time and energy to be spent

The answer to “Steward’s office surprisingly unsophisticated, needing time and energy to be spent” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is CUSTODIANSHIP — a 13-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 22, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 17-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.

“Steward’s office surprisingly unsophisticated, needing time and energy to be spent” answer

CUSTODIANSHIP (13 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 CUSTODIANSHIP.

Why the answer is CUSTODIANSHIP

This names the responsibility or office of looking after something 🗝️

When else has “Steward’s office surprisingly unsophisticated, needing time and energy to be spent” 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 22, 2026 (most recent) → CUSTODIANSHIP. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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