Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?

Latest answer — September 09, 2026

23 Across

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Clue explained

RUT is the period when a stag pursues a mate, so it means ‘time to pursue game’. The question-marked wording jokes that the stag may have intentions beyond the hunter’s game.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A red deer stag during the rutting season

Times Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, September 09, 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. 1Playing repeats in D flat
  2. 6Day in Rome comes to an end
  3. 9Movement of Duncan Edwards initially demonstrating subtlety
  4. 10Fail in attempt to extend break?
  5. 12Rest to recover from cold after crossing glens
  6. 13Excellent reason to start with simple tune
  7. 15One old silly?
  8. 16Old Russian soul and wild spirit
  9. 18He saw Guinevere, taking look through window
  10. 20Dish of prawns: have most of mine
  11. 23Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?
  12. 24Confine fish: 50 in river easily sacrificed
  13. 26Spoil Asian language translating a different one
  14. 27Nearly all leaving an American church with suspicion
  15. 28Mosul Kurds keeping pet
  16. 29Agreed rent around Sussex port in the past

Down

  1. 1Kick boat piloted by Pole
  2. 2Alumnus about to fill face with duck and game
  3. 3TV broadcast with CS Lewis and Lake Poet
  4. 4Puzzling question consuming theologian with anger
  5. 5North Georgian resort introduces Pope?
  6. 7Charge million with minimum unit cost to cover?
  7. 8Debauched affair in South America involving a performer and boxer
  8. 11Boy King embracing female beauty in ballet
  9. 14Storyteller’s article culled from Obscure Birds
  10. 17School rebel in form
  11. 19Ebbing of brown river is to be expected
  12. 21Confusion using em dash inverted for example
  13. 22Child really must have name to replace Charlie
  14. 25English boozer’s clutching stomach

The answer to “Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is RUT — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 9, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 23-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.

“Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?” answer

RUT (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 RUT.

What does RUT mean?

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

(noun)

  • a long, deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles
  • a habit or pattern of behaviour that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change

When else has “Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?” 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 9, 2026 (most recent) → RUT. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?”?

The answer is RUT, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 9, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?”?

3 letters: RUT.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on September 9, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 23-Across.

Can “Time to pursue game — in which stag has other ideas?” 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 9, 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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