Massage following last of fattening food

Latest answer — August 12, 2026

5 Across

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Clue explained

GRUB means food, while RUB means massage; RUB follows the last letter of fattening, G. Thus G + RUB gives GRUB.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A simple illustration combining the letter G with a massage rub

Times Quick Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 12, 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. 1Vehicle days on station? This may be sent home
  2. 5Massage following last of fattening food
  3. 8Ship’s back badly set by Royal Navy
  4. 9Standard form of Laos sunshade
  5. 11A representative unit used in grids
  6. 12Control police stress
  7. 13Versace regularly copy — avoid
  8. 15One good in open flying?
  9. 18What’s glued into altered map can show this
  10. 19Catch burbot and gurnard to begin with
  11. 20Fall in support for person learning on the job
  12. 21Concerning blood type forbidden
  13. 22Sign me on working
  14. 23An insect protecting unusual nest — one not here

Down

  1. 1Father’s green-coloured in sea voyage
  2. 2Drop off some letter entailing extra postage initially
  3. 3Device, something to stop pregnancy shunned by church
  4. 4Restore theatre song
  5. 6Book place to watch game
  6. 7Rubbish for instance library turned up
  7. 10Seek to preserve rare fig tree that’s damaged
  8. 14Depressed on being in cold underground chamber
  9. 16Garment close to neckwear
  10. 17Excellent first two-thirds of US football championship match
  11. 18See about excessive style of bingo
  12. 19Inflate vessel outside loch

The answer to “Massage following last of fattening food” in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword is GRUB — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 12, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 5-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.

“Massage following last of fattening food” answer

GRUB (4 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 GRUB.

What does GRUB mean?

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

(noun)

  • the larva of an insect, especially a beetle
  • food

When else has “Massage following last of fattening food” 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 12, 2026 (most recent) → GRUB. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Massage following last of fattening food”?

The answer is GRUB, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Massage following last of fattening food”?

4 letters: GRUB.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 12, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 5-Across.

Can “Massage following last of fattening food” 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 12, 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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