Decryptic #27 - 24th July 2026
Solution & wordplay explained · Published 24 July 2026
The solved grid and a clue-by-clue explanation of every piece of wordplay in this Decryptic daily. It's a past puzzle, and the archive lets you play older crosswords. Today's crossword is always free to play.
The solved grid
1I
N
2T
E
N
S
I
F
3I
E
4D
5J
N
U
N
I
E
6E
N
G
R
7O
S
8S
E
D
9S
E
T
L
C
C
U
H
10A
P
11P
L
E
12H
O
L
Y
W
A
13R
S
O
A
L
G
A
E
T
14T
E
N
D
E
R
E
S
T
V
I
E
B
M
N
E
E
15C
A
N
N
O
L
I
16C
I
R
C
A
T
T
E
E
L
17A
M
I
18T
E
L
E
S
C
19O
P
E
F
A
O
U
R
T
20L
Y
M
P
H
O
C
Y
T
E
S
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Across
1 Across Finest indie film, disturbed, made much stronger (11) → INTENSIFIED Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “finest indie”.
6 Across Deeply absorbed, as seen in fallen grossed accounts (9) → ENGROSSED Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “fallen grossed”.
9 Across First three letters of tester, returned, form a group (3) → SET Reversal
Reverse a run of letters to build the answer, which begins with “S”.
10 Across Beer housing pair of pianissimo notes: fruit (5) → APPLE Container
Put a 2-letter run inside a 3-letter word.
12 Across Wild howl and ray suggest a religious crusade (4,3) → HOLY WAR Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “howl ray”.
14 Across Most gentle, as tree tends when mixed up (9) → TENDEREST Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “tree tends”.
15 Across Able to refuse fifty-one, an Italian fried pastry (7) → CANNOLI Charade
Join three pieces end to end, 3, 2 and 2 letters long.
16 Across Cats in race chasing antelope, initially, about (5) → CIRCA Initialism
Take the first letter of each: Cats, In, Race, Chasing, Antelope.
17 Across Always meet individually, at first, like a good friend (3) → AMI Initialism
Take the first letter of each: Always, Meet, Individually.
18 Across Old TV, briefly, offering broad scope for the stargazer's aid (9) → TELESCOPE Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 4 and 5 letters long.
20 Across White blood cells oddly formed from psycho melty (11) → LYMPHOCYTES Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “psycho melty”.
Down
1 Down Rigid, found in elastic wrap (9) → INELASTIC Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 2 and 7 letters long.
2 Down Gut, turned around, gives a pull (3) → TUG Reversal
Reverse a run of letters to build the answer, which begins with “T”.
3 Down Uncle's design, mixed up, offers little treats (11) → INDULGENCES Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “uncle design”.
4 Down Beauty to dilute, becoming grimy liquid (9) → DISHWATER Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 4 and 5 letters long.
5 Down Journey ends today, initially, in a fast aircraft (3) → JET Initialism
Take the first letter of each: Journey, Ends, Today.
7 Down Combat one to reach the seabed, chaotically (5,6) → OCEAN BOTTOM Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “combat one to”.
8 Down Muddled Michelles become a hapless fool (9) → SCHLEMIEL Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “Michelles”.
11 Down Patent oil, mixed strangely, shows future promise (9) → POTENTIAL Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “patent oil”.
13 Down Reveal ersatz spies, uncovering snitches (9) → REVEALERS Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “reveal ersatz spies”.
17 Down Some of the raft floated toward the stern (3) → AFT Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “raft”.
19 Down Not in, as starters of old university team announced (3) → OUT Initialism
Take the first letter of each: old, university, team.