Gradually stop using (something) (5,3)
Crossword Answer — July 28, 2026
Ease away from a habit little by little. 🧩
Guardian Quick Crossword
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Tap a square to reveal a letter.
Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.
Guardian Quick Crossword Clues
Across
Down
Crossword clues, hints, and answers
Across
- 1. Ability to endure - partying woes (anag) (7,5) — Answer: STAYINGPOWER. Hint: The knack for sticking with it, even when the party gets rough, is what this points to 🎉
- 9. Lowest point (5) — Answer: NADIR. Hint: The very bottom of a bad stretch, when things can hardly dip any further 📉
- 10. Fake - credit card (7) — Answer: PLASTIC. Hint: A common stand-in for something more valuable, like a card in your wallet 🪪
- 11. Count (on) (4) — Answer: RELY. Hint: Trustingly lean on someone for support when it matters most 🤝
- 12. Dangerous building (8) — Answer: FIRETRAP. Hint: A place so risky that one spark could make it a nightmare to escape 🔥
- 14. What one aims for (6) — Answer: TARGET. Hint: The bullseye on a dartboard is this kind of thing 🎯
- 15. Vicar's standpoint? (6) — Answer: PULPIT. Hint: Where a church speaker gets their elevated view 😇
- 18. Direct (8) — Answer: EXPLICIT. Hint: Clearly stated, with nothing left to guess 😄
- 20. Register - drumbeats (4) — Answer: ROLL. Hint: What a drummer does when the rhythm keeps going, and a list gets entered too 🥁
- 22. Give apparent legitimacy to (dirty money) (7) — Answer: LAUNDER. Hint: Make dirty cash look clean enough to pass inspection 🧼
- 23. Evident (5) — Answer: OVERT. Hint: Plainly out in the open rather than hidden 🙂
- 24. Feeling(s) of misery (12) — Answer: WRETCHEDNESS. Hint: A state so gloomy it practically wears a frown all day 😞
Down
- 2. Little fish (7) — Answer: TIDDLER. Hint: A tiny swimmer that’s hardly more than a nibble of a fish 🐟
- 3. Long story (4) — Answer: YARN. Hint: A bit of fabric talk can also mean a tall tale 🧶
- 4. Table cloth? (6) — Answer: NAPKIN. Hint: A handy little cloth for keeping laps and faces tidy at dinner 🍽️
- 5. Gradually stop using (something) (5,3) — Answer: PHASEOUT. Hint: Ease away from a habit little by little. 🧩
- 6. Bed, buffalo or bill? (5) — Answer: WATER. Hint: It can mean a place to sleep, a big beast, or a kind of charge—quite a versatile word 💧
- 7. To sum up (12) — Answer: RECAPITULATE. Hint: A neat way to gather all the main points again in one go 📚
- 8. Generally accepted, but not official, rule (9,3) — Answer: UNWRITTENLAW. Hint: A rule everyone follows without ever seeing it on paper 📜
- 13. Occasional (8) — Answer: PERIODIC. Hint: Happens at regular intervals rather than all the time. 🔁
- 16. Accepted method (7) — Answer: PROCESS. Hint: A tried-and-true way of doing things that gets the job done smoothly 🛠️
- 17. Intense (6) — Answer: FIERCE. Hint: Very strong and fierce in spirit or force 🔥
- 19. One may be pregnant (5) — Answer: PAUSE. Hint: A brief break can feel like a little expectant moment 🤔
- 21. Blue - feathers (4) — Answer: DOWN. Hint: Opposite of up, like a bird’s tailwind? 🐦
The answer to “Gradually stop using (something) (5,3)” in the The Guardian Quick crossword is PHASEOUT — a 8-letter word. This clue ran in the The Guardian Quick crossword on July 28, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 5-Down. If it's the entry standing between you and a clean grid, that's the word you need — and below you'll find why it fits, plus links to the day's other clues if more than one square is giving you trouble.
“Gradually stop using (something) (5,3)” answer
PHASEOUT (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 PHASEOUT.
Why the answer is PHASEOUT
Ease away from a habit little by little. 🧩
When else has “Gradually stop using (something) (5,3)” appeared?
The Guardian Quick reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up before, and what the answer was each time — handy if you landed here from a puzzle on another date.
July 28, 2026 (this puzzle) → PHASEOUT. We haven't indexed an earlier appearance of this exact clue yet.
More clues from the Guardian Quick Crossword on July 28, 2026
Stuck elsewhere in the grid? Here are some of the crossing and nearby clues from the same puzzle — tap any for its answer and explanation.
- Ability to endure - partying woes (anag) (7,5) → STAYINGPOWER
- Fake - credit card (7) → PLASTIC
- Dangerous building (8) → FIRETRAP
- Vicar's standpoint? (6) → PULPIT
- Table cloth? (6) → NAPKIN
- Bed, buffalo or bill? (5) → WATER
- Long story (4) → YARN
- To sum up (12) → RECAPITULATE
Want every clue in one place? The full The Guardian Quick answer list for July 28, 2026 is on that day's grid page, and today's live Guardian Quick answers are always one tap from the today page.
About the Guardian Quick Crossword
The Guardian Quick Crossword is a British straight-definition daily (typically around 13×13) — no cryptic wordplay, just clean definitions and abbreviations. This page covers a Tuesday puzzle. Because answers favour common UK vocabulary and short fill, seeing a confirmation once makes the next appearance easy to spot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the answer to “Gradually stop using (something) (5,3)”?
The answer is PHASEOUT, a 8-letter word. It appeared in the The Guardian Quick crossword on July 28, 2026.
How many letters is the answer to “Gradually stop using (something) (5,3)”?
8 letters: PHASEOUT.
Where did this clue appear?
In the The Guardian Quick crossword on July 28, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 5-Down.
Can “Gradually stop using (something) (5,3)” have a different answer?
Yes — The Guardian Quick 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 Guardian Quick answers?
The full grid for July 28, 2026 is on the Guardian Quick answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.