We had to include gag — sorry

Latest answer — August 16, 2026

16 Down

A word meaning miserable can be built around a gagging reaction. 😣

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Times Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Sunday, August 16, 2026 appearance

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Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Feature of pretty close inspections
  2. 6Small jug that one shouldn’t drink from
  3. 9Repartee about bowler’s thingy
  4. 10Latin dictionary in which “felis” is found
  5. 11One of keys A and B will open box
  6. 12Wound up performing at the Fringe?
  7. 14Devout cardinal isn’t bad for Christian settlement
  8. 17Soldier and mad outlaw in communist military group
  9. 19Polynesian in trouble, not coming back
  10. 20Age hidden by fat old painter
  11. 23Not so easy to fit copper into grating
  12. 24Mr F Ward, Independent
  13. 25Valleys in feudal estates
  14. 26Dainty little Parisian quartet

Down

  1. 1Pass on advice to young man
  2. 2Tennis star, really big, with alias
  3. 3Those inclined to offer shares?
  4. 4No overnight case
  5. 5Thus see unaided
  6. 6Money received by crook?
  7. 7Scratched and pinched
  8. 8In studies, he’d crushed ginger nuts
  9. 13Promise of union action
  10. 15Largely popular officer
  11. 16We had to include gag — sorry
  12. 18Firm support — it turns out the same
  13. 21Monarch playing party piece?
  14. 22A winner, but no married bloke

The answer to “We had to include gag — sorry” in the The Times Cryptic crossword is WRETCHED — a 8-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 16, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 16-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.

“We had to include gag — sorry” answer

WRETCHED (8 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 WRETCHED.

Why the answer is WRETCHED

A word meaning miserable can be built around a gagging reaction. 😣

What does WRETCHED mean?

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

(adjective)

  • (of a person) in a very unhappy or unfortunate state
  • used to express anger or annoyance

When else has “We had to include gag — sorry” 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 16, 2026 (most recent) → WRETCHED. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “We had to include gag — sorry”?

The answer is WRETCHED, a 8-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 16, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “We had to include gag — sorry”?

8 letters: WRETCHED.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Cryptic crossword on August 16, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 16-Down.

Can “We had to include gag — sorry” 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 16, 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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