Times Quick Cryptic Crossword Answers Today
Times Quick Cryptic No 3372
By Jalna
Across
- 6Colour of old stoveORANGE
- 10Dreary, accomplished performersOVERCAST
- 11Total struggle to cross lineCOMPLETE
- 18Weakness not hard to detectSOFTSPOT
- 21Lodger deprived of a bedBORDER
Down
- 2New indoor carpet is includedINCORPORATED
- 8Non-scientist weirdly playing fast and looseINCONSISTENT
- 14Hurry and deal with creepy-crawly?STEPONIT
Crossword clues, hints, and answers
Across
- 6. Colour of old stove — Answer: ORANGE. Hint: Think of the warm citrus hue often seen in a glowing stove’s burner. 🔥
- 7. Rubbish tee shot heading for lake — Answer: DRIVEL. Hint: Think of a word for meaningless nonsense paired with a wayward golf shot splashing into water. 🏌️
- 9. Single river heading west in US city — Answer: RENO. Hint: Picture the Nevada city along the Truckee River, with a name evoking a single one. 🏜️
- 10. Dreary, accomplished performers — Answer: OVERCAST. Hint: Think of gloomy weather combined with a word meaning finished, while performers provide a clever extra nudge. 🌧️
- 11. Total struggle to cross line — Answer: COMPLETE. Hint: Look for a word meaning “total” that also suggests bringing a struggle across the finish line. 🏁
- 13. Shelter made of some fine sticks? — Answer: NEST. Hint: A feathered family might call this twiggy dwelling home. 🐦
- 15. Beloved person each doctor nurses — Answer: DEAR. Hint: Think of a warm term for someone cherished, often used as a gentle form of address. 💛
- 16. Impressive and popular, as many churches are — Answer: INSPIRED. Hint: Picture a church that feels divinely guided and earns widespread admiration. 🙏
- 18. Weakness not hard to detect — Answer: SOFTSPOT. Hint: It’s a vulnerable area that stands out pretty easily. 🎯
- 20. Excessively large plane, for example — Answer: TOOL. Hint: Think of something useful a craftsperson might reach for. 🛠️
- 21. Lodger deprived of a bed — Answer: BORDER. Hint: Start with the word for a lodger and take away its bed, cryptically speaking. 🛏️
- 22. Leguminous plant close to coastal inlet flourished — Answer: LENTIL. Hint: Think of a small, protein-rich pulse often simmered in soups and curries. 🥣
Down
- 1. Horrible, liquid food almost finished by a few — Answer: GRUESOME. Hint: A nearly finished serving of thin porridge plus a small number points to something truly horrifying. 😱
- 2. New indoor carpet is included — Answer: INCORPORATED. Hint: The definition is “included,” while the opening phrase supplies the letters in a scrambled order. 🧩
- 3. Calm sales agent boasted from time to time — Answer: REPOSE. Hint: Combine a sales representative with alternating letters from “boasted” to find a word meaning calm. 🧩
- 4. Stick publicity material in this place — Answer: ADHERE. Hint: Think of a verb meaning “stick” hidden in a playful reference to a spot for publicity. 🧩
- 5. Result of food fight in military dining hall? — Answer: MESS. Hint: A chaotic cafeteria brawl might leave quite a cleanup behind! 🍽️
- 8. Non-scientist weirdly playing fast and loose — Answer: INCONSISTENT. Hint: Think of behavior that keeps changing instead of sticking to the same rules or standards. 🎭
- 12. Characters winding up arrogant people on X — Answer: TEN. Hint: Think of a count of symbols playfully needling boastful posters on the social platform formerly known as Twitter. 😄
- 14. Hurry and deal with creepy-crawly? — Answer: STEPONIT. Hint: Think of combining a command to move quickly with what you might do to an unwanted bug 🐜
- 16. Bestow one politician with sculpture, perhaps — Answer: IMPART. Hint: Look for a verb meaning to give or share, while the politician-and-sculpture wording is a playful disguise. 🎁
- 17. Make your home somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales — Answer: SETTLE. Hint: Think of making yourself at home in a charming Yorkshire Dales market town 🏡
- 19. Leaders of one band offended every music producer — Answer: OBOE. Hint: Look at the leading letters of the opening words to uncover a woodwind instrument 🎶
Looking for today's Times Quick Cryptic answers? Every across and down solution for today's puzzle — dated August 5, 2026 — is at the top of this page, updated as soon as The Times releases it. Launched in March 2014 under crossword editor Richard Rogan, the Quick Cryptic is a Monday–Friday 13×13 with named setters — a deliberate stepping stone into the main Times Cryptic. Whether you're checking a finished grid or stuck on a single clue, the full answers are below.
Full Times Quick Cryptic Crossword answer list for today
Every clue from today's grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.
Across
| # | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Colour of old stove | ORANGE |
| 7 | Rubbish tee shot heading for lake | DRIVEL |
| 9 | Single river heading west in US city | RENO |
| 10 | Dreary, accomplished performers | OVERCAST |
| 11 | Total struggle to cross line | COMPLETE |
| 13 | Shelter made of some fine sticks? | NEST |
| 15 | Beloved person each doctor nurses | DEAR |
| 16 | Impressive and popular, as many churches are | INSPIRED |
| 18 | Weakness not hard to detect | SOFTSPOT |
| 20 | Excessively large plane, for example | TOOL |
| 21 | Lodger deprived of a bed | BORDER |
| 22 | Leguminous plant close to coastal inlet flourished | LENTIL |
Down
| # | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horrible, liquid food almost finished by a few | GRUESOME |
| 2 | New indoor carpet is included | INCORPORATED |
| 3 | Calm sales agent boasted from time to time | REPOSE |
| 4 | Stick publicity material in this place | ADHERE |
| 5 | Result of food fight in military dining hall? | MESS |
| 8 | Non-scientist weirdly playing fast and loose | INCONSISTENT |
| 12 | Characters winding up arrogant people on X | TEN |
| 14 | Hurry and deal with creepy-crawly? | STEPONIT |
| 16 | Bestow one politician with sculpture, perhaps | IMPART |
| 17 | Make your home somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales | SETTLE |
| 19 | Leaders of one band offended every music producer | OBOE |
Today's Times Quick Cryptic answers
Today's solution appears above, split into Across and Down exactly as the puzzle numbers them. Each answer is listed separately so you can reveal just the clue that's blocking you. The grid is confirmed Monday through Friday as soon as The Times publishes it.
About the Times Quick Cryptic
The Times Quick Cryptic launched in March 2014 under crossword editor Richard Rogan as a deliberate stepping stone into the main Times Cryptic. It uses a reduced 13×13 grid (56 fewer squares than the 15×15) and shorter, fairer cryptic clueing — well-known wordplay devices, fewer oblique definitions — so newer solvers can finish in one sitting, and experienced solvers get a quick warm-up. Unlike the anonymous main Cryptic, each Quick Cryptic carries a setter pseudonym (Jalna, Wurm, Pipsqueak, Teazel and others). It appears Monday–Friday only. Ready for the full puzzle? See our Times Cryptic answers.
Quick Cryptic vs the main Times Cryptic
What changes when you step up from the QC to the 15×15:
| Quick Cryptic | Times Cryptic | |
|---|---|---|
| Grid size | 13×13 | 15×15 |
| Days | Monday–Friday | Daily |
| Setter | Named pseudonym | Anonymous |
| Clueing | Shorter, familiar devices | Full cryptic range |
| Intent | Learn cryptics / quick solve | The main daily challenge |
How to break a stubborn Quick Cryptic clue
- Find the definition. It almost always sits at the start or end of the clue; the middle is the wordplay.
- Use the smaller grid. On a 13×13, one confirmed answer often unlocks two or three crossings at once.
- Expect fair play. Quick Cryptic setters are steered toward common wordplay and clearer definitions than the main cryptic — if a reading feels impossibly obscure, try the simpler parse first.
- Reveal one answer only. Our crossword solver confirms a single clue from your known letters without spoiling the rest.
Browse past Times Quick Cryptic answers
Every previous weekday Quick Cryptic is archived on this page by date with full solutions. There is no Quick Cryptic on Saturday or Sunday, so the archive steps from Friday to Monday. Stuck on a single clue, our crossword solver will reveal just that answer.
Browse more puzzles on the crossword solver, or use it to crack any clue from any publication.
Frequently asked questions
What are today's Times Quick Cryptic answers?
Every across and down answer for today's puzzle (August 5, 2026) is listed at the top of this page, updated as soon as The Times releases it.
What time does the Times Quick Cryptic come out?
Monday through Friday at midnight UK time. There is no Quick Cryptic on Saturday or Sunday. We post the answers as soon as that day's grid is listed.
What is the Times Quick Cryptic?
Launched on 10 March 2014 under crossword editor Richard Rogan, it's a Monday–Friday 13×13 cryptic with named setters — shorter and gentler than the main Times Cryptic, aimed at newer cryptic solvers or a quicker daily solve.
Why are Quick Cryptic setters named?
Unlike the anonymous main Cryptic, each Quick Cryptic carries a pseudonym (Jalna, Wurm, Pipsqueak, Teazel and others) so solvers can learn individual styles while they practise cryptic devices.
Does the Quick Cryptic run on weekends?
No — it appears Monday through Friday. For weekends, the main Times Cryptic still runs.
Where can I find past Times Quick Cryptic answers?
Every previous weekday puzzle is in the archive on this page, listed by date with full solutions. The archive steps from Friday to Monday.