Guardian Quick Crossword Answers - Jul 31

Quick crossword No 17,546

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Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Common in a specific area (7) — Answer: ENDEMIC. Hint: Found naturally in one place and nowhere else 🌍
  2. 8. Read it as a rebuke (4,3) — Answer: RIOTACT. Hint: A stern telling-off that sounds a bit old-fashioned 📣
  3. 9. Number 13 (for some) (7) — Answer: UNLUCKY. Hint: Associated with bad luck in many traditions 🍀
  4. 10. Go where one's not welcome (7) — Answer: INTRUDE. Hint: Sneak in where you’re clearly not invited 😏
  5. 11. Entertaining place outdoors? (5) — Answer: PATIO. Hint: A cozy spot outside for lounging or dining 😎
  6. 13. Elevated position of church music? (5,4) — Answer: ORGANLOFT. Hint: A high spot in a church where the pipes get their time to shine 🎶
  7. 15. Section of text (9) — Answer: PARAGRAPH. Hint: A neat block of writing that usually stands apart on the page 📄
  8. 18. Complete change in policy (1-4) — Answer: UTURN. Hint: A sudden shift that sends you back the way you came 🚗
  9. 21. Sports shoe (7) — Answer: TRAINER. Hint: A comfy sneaker for workouts or a casual stroll 👟
  10. 22. Minor role (3,4) — Answer: BITPART. Hint: A tiny acting gig with hardly any screen time 🎭
  11. 23. London football club - or New York hotel? (7) — Answer: CHELSEA. Hint: A famous London team shares its name with a stylish Manhattan hotel district. 🏨
  12. 24. Dish decoration (7) — Answer: GARNISH. Hint: A little flourish that makes the plate look extra tempting 🍽️

Down

  1. 1. Provide (5) — Answer: EQUIP. Hint: Give someone the gear they need to get going 🛠️
  2. 2. Vermeer's hometown (5) — Answer: DELFT. Hint: A charming Dutch city famous for blue-and-white pottery and a certain painter’s roots 🏺
  3. 3. Tiny living thing (5-8) — Answer: MICROORGANISM. Hint: A minuscule creature you’d need a microscope to notice 🦠
  4. 4. Sound of distress (6) — Answer: CRYING. Hint: A noisy way to show you’re really upset 😢
  5. 5. Mercenary individual (7-6) — Answer: FORTUNEHUNTER. Hint: Someone chasing profit over principle, always sniffing out the next payoff 💰
  6. 6. Mozambique's capital (6) — Answer: MAPUTO. Hint: A sunny port city on the Indian Ocean with a strong Portuguese flavor 🌊
  7. 7. _Positively 4th __ ___, 1965 Bob Dylan song (6) — Answer: STREET. Hint: A famous Dylan tune that points you down a lively city road 🎸
  8. 12. Picnic or penalty? (4) — Answer: AREA. Hint: A space you might share at a picnic, or defend in a game 😄
  9. 14. Fantastic figure? (4) — Answer: FOUR. Hint: A perfect score can feel pretty magical 😄
  10. 15. Uprising (6) — Answer: PUTSCH. Hint: A sudden move to seize power, often with a military flavor 👀
  11. 16. Bookish individual (6) — Answer: READER. Hint: Someone who happily devours pages for fun 📚
  12. 17. In-car safety feature (6) — Answer: AIRBAG. Hint: A cushy lifesaver that pops out when a crash happens 🚗
  13. 19. Taste of miso (5) — Answer: UMAMI. Hint: That savory fifth taste sits between sweet and salty 😋
  14. 20. V-shaped cut (5) — Answer: NOTCH. Hint: A small V-like indentation in a surface or edge. ✂️

Here are the Guardian Quick Crossword answers for Friday, July 31, 2026 — every solution for that day's standard Quick grid puzzle, listed at the top of this page. Whether you're catching up on a puzzle you missed, settling a “what was the answer on July 31?” question, or checking a grid you finished that day, the complete clue-by-clue solution is right here. Looking for today's puzzle instead? Head to our live Guardian Quick Crossword answers page.

Guardian Quick Crossword answers for July 31, 2026

The full solution for the July 31 Guardian Quick is shown above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, exactly as that day's grid read. Each answer is listed separately, so you can check just the clue you were stuck on and leave the rest. This is the confirmed grid as published on Friday, July 31.

Full Guardian Quick Crossword answer list for July 31, 2026

Every clue from the July 31 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Common in a specific area (7)ENDEMIC
8Read it as a rebuke (4,3)RIOTACT
9Number 13 (for some) (7)UNLUCKY
10Go where one's not welcome (7)INTRUDE
11Entertaining place outdoors? (5)PATIO
13Elevated position of church music? (5,4)ORGANLOFT
15Section of text (9)PARAGRAPH
18Complete change in policy (1-4)UTURN
21Sports shoe (7)TRAINER
22Minor role (3,4)BITPART
23London football club - or New York hotel? (7)CHELSEA
24Dish decoration (7)GARNISH

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Provide (5)EQUIP
2Vermeer's hometown (5)DELFT
3Tiny living thing (5-8)MICROORGANISM
4Sound of distress (6)CRYING
5Mercenary individual (7-6)FORTUNEHUNTER
6Mozambique's capital (6)MAPUTO
7_Positively 4th __ ___, 1965 Bob Dylan song (6)STREET
12Picnic or penalty? (4)AREA
14Fantastic figure? (4)FOUR
15Uprising (6)PUTSCH
16Bookish individual (6)READER
17In-car safety feature (6)AIRBAG
19Taste of miso (5)UMAMI
20V-shaped cut (5)NOTCH

Hints for the July 31 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The July 31 Guardian Quick used straight, one-word definition clues — no cryptic trickery — so that Friday grid was among the more approachable dailies to solve outright. One thing to note when checking the answers below: the Guardian is a British paper, so its solutions follow British spelling (COLOUR, CENTRE), which is worth remembering if a word looks a letter off. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.

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Frequently asked questions

What were the Guardian Quick Crossword answers on July 31, 2026?

Every answer for the Friday, July 31, 2026 Guardian Quick is listed at the top of this page — the confirmed grid as published that day.

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Today's live puzzle is on our Guardian Quick Crossword answers today page, updated the moment each new grid goes live.

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