Cheek dressing

Latest answer — August 21, 2026

18 Down

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Clue explained

SAUCE has two matching senses: it can mean “cheek” or impudence, and it can be a dressing or accompaniment for food.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
Sauce being poured over a plated dish

Times Quick Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Friday, August 21, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Fire in carousel
  2. 4Insist two daughters retain name, after reflection
  3. 8Annulment site unusually hard-nosed?
  4. 10Best leaders of enterprise leaving in the end
  5. 11Cutting second drink, much-liked
  6. 13Vegetable when of expected standard, first-class, ultimately pleasing us
  7. 17Extend beyond limit due to arguing at regular intervals
  8. 18Place of worship missing Queen’s lustre
  9. 19The writer’s beat, accepting shopping without much forethought
  10. 21Victim of railway vehicle reversing
  11. 22Enclosed space containing protesters? It will reach boiling point!

Down

  1. 1So be it about copper’s shrewdness!
  2. 2Stubborn, set — obtain broadcast
  3. 3Slight burn, just one, after learner’s gone
  4. 5Time of day, flat, is no good principally
  5. 6Something done in Ascot regularly
  6. 7Maybe tone down musical instrument after I’d flipped?
  7. 9Cover in case run goes awry?
  8. 12One admitted to appalling missteps — I see trouble ahead
  9. 14Herb, son, involved in wartime discussion perhaps
  10. 15Element beginning to show hatred
  11. 16Inadequately small, extremely minute — agree? Not quite
  12. 18Cheek dressing
  13. 20For every person? Not half!

The answer to “Cheek dressing” in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword is SAUCE — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 21, 2026, a Friday 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.

“Cheek dressing” answer

SAUCE (5 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 SAUCE.

What does SAUCE mean?

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

(noun)

  • a liquid or semi-liquid substance served with food to add moistness and flavour
  • alcoholic drink
  • impertinence; cheek

When else has “Cheek dressing” appeared?

The Times Quick 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 21, 2026 (most recent) → SAUCE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Cheek dressing”?

The answer is SAUCE, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 21, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Cheek dressing”?

5 letters: SAUCE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 21, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 18-Down.

Can “Cheek dressing” have a different answer?

Yes — The Times Quick 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 Quick Cryptic answers?

The full grid for August 21, 2026 is on the Times Quick Cryptic answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

The Times Quick 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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