Big fans of bananas eat "boring grapes" (5,4)

The Minute Cryptic answer to Big fans of bananas eat "boring grapes" (5,4) is GREAT APES — 5,4 — 2 words, 9 letters in total. It ran on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, a member submission from Ben Stuart & Liam, and it turns on containment of eat in grapes wordplay. Below you'll find the answer on its own, the clue taken apart a piece at a time, and what to look for the next time the same trick shows up.

Big fans of bananas eat "boring grapes" (5,4) — answer

GREAT APES (5,4)

The letters run G • • • • • • • S, and the tiles above spell the answer out in full. If you only wanted a nudge, the highlighted clue above gives you the indicator, the fodder and the definition one at a time, the same way the game does.

Why the answer is GREAT APES

Split the clue in two. “Big fans of bananas” is the definition — the plain meaning GREAT APES has to satisfy, and it sits at the start of the clue, where definitions always are.

Everything else is wordplay. “boring” is the indicator, flagging a containment of eat in grapes, and it operates on “eat … grapes”. Follow that through and you get GREAT APES, 5,4 — 2 words, 9 letters in total, matching the (5,4).

Minute Cryptic also films a short explainer for this clue if you'd rather hear it walked through.

Other recent Minute Cryptic clues

Minute Cryptic runs one clue a day, so there's no sibling clue to cross-check against. Here are the days before this one, with their answers:

• Halfway across Europe, backpacking 500 miles from Nice? (4) → RUDE
• Nothing in vault where gold should be - it's a bit of a shock (4) → VOLT
• Tinkle all over the place after surprise entry... Maybe knock first? (6,1) → SILENT K
• Ran out of ranch dressing as we went back for something to snack on (6) → CASHEW
• Shouting “$&%#!” they crash loudly (7) → CYMBALS
• Bergamot herbal extract for bodybuilder? (6) → MOTHER

The hints table for this clue, and how the game reveals each nudge, are on the Minute Cryptic answers page for Wednesday, August 5, 2026.

About Minute Cryptic

Minute Cryptic publishes one cryptic crossword clue a day at minutecryptic.com — no grid, no streak, just the clue, three nudges and a short video explainer. Scoring is golf-style: every clue carries a par counted in hints, and each nudge or revealed letter costs a stroke. Clues come from editor Liam Runnalls and from community setters. This one came from community member Ben Stuart & Liam, with a par of 3 hints.

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