Throw back tailless crustacean

Latest answer — August 20, 2026

8 Across

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Clue explained

A LOB is a throw, while REST means “back”; REST is “thrown” or rearranged to give STER, producing LOBSTER, the crustacean. “Tailless” helps the surface suggest an incomplete creature description rather than supplying extra letters.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A lobster shown in its natural crustacean form

Times Quick Cryptic Crossword

This clue's Thursday, August 20, 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. 1True agenda disguised for sure
  2. 7Crucial reduction in sale periodically
  3. 8Throw back tailless crustacean
  4. 10Lots irate about philosopher
  5. 12Love skipping part of speech in prayer?
  6. 13Dislike some Pakistani musicals
  7. 15Old tax company returns book
  8. 16Man, not using heroin is better
  9. 17Give up, more or less, in casual game
  10. 20Free rent again?
  11. 22Judge city on the Mosel
  12. 23Flapper and married lad messed around

Down

  1. 1Architect in grand car
  2. 2Use thread to repair a reversing vehicle, astonished
  3. 3Share of vote having spent billions
  4. 4Label creature that flies to the north
  5. 5Country is at one for a change
  6. 6Adam put up Georgia and Mark in island nation
  7. 9Call East German A&R representative’s top drummer
  8. 11Charming man’s church article included in register
  9. 14Desire mixture of muesli and porridge at first
  10. 18Endlessly yells for dairy product
  11. 19Tories barely left Oxford college
  12. 21I’m surprised husband visits Alcoholics Anonymous

The answer to “Throw back tailless crustacean” in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword is LOBSTER — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 20, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 8-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.

“Throw back tailless crustacean” answer

LOBSTER (7 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 LOBSTER.

What does LOBSTER mean?

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

(noun)

  • a large marine crustacean with a cylindrical body, stalked eyes, and the first of its five pairs of limbs modified as pincers

When else has “Throw back tailless crustacean” 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 20, 2026 (most recent) → LOBSTER. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Throw back tailless crustacean”?

The answer is LOBSTER, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 20, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Throw back tailless crustacean”?

7 letters: LOBSTER.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Times Quick Cryptic crossword on August 20, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 8-Across.

Can “Throw back tailless crustacean” 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 20, 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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