Decryptic #29 - 26th July 2026
Solution & wordplay explained · Published 26 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
M
2P
R
3O
M
4P
T
5U
6L
A
P
N
R
P
A
N
O
7V
I
O
L
E
N
T
8D
E
C
A
9L
E
P
N
Y
H
I
10N
U
M
I
S
M
11A
T
I
C
S
P
T
A
A
N
O
12O
I
N
K
13S
R
14G
I
15F
T
S
R
K
G
A
U
I
16P
S
Y
C
H
E
17D
E
L
I
C
E
S
D
E
L
T
18S
T
Y
L
I
19M
A
F
I
O
S
I
C
V
E
O
U
O
20N
A
H
21E
N
L
I
G
H
T
E
N
Advertisement
Across
1 Across Unplanned: mom trip up, rearranged (9) → IMPROMPTU Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “mom trip up”.
6 Across Circuit found within medal appears (3) → LAP Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “medal appears”.
7 Across Six love, then loaned, proving fierce (7) → VIOLENT Charade
Join three pieces end to end, 2, 1 and 4 letters long.
8 Across Sticker: agreement embracing temperature scale (5) → DECAL Container
Put a 1-letter run inside a 4-letter word.
10 Across Study of coins made from aunts mimics, disturbed (11) → NUMISMATICS Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “aunts mimics”.
12 Across Piggy sounds from oinkers, energy removed (5) → OINKS Deletion
Remove 2 letters from the middle of a longer word.
14 Across Presents: great income for the state, initially (5) → GIFTS Initialism
Take the first letter of each: Great, Income, For, The, State.
16 Across Hallucinogenic effect from bizarre psych decile (11) → PSYCHEDELIC Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “psych decile”.
18 Across Silty ground rearranged reveals writing implements (5) → STYLI Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “silty”.
19 Across Gangsters: Sofia note rearranged (7) → MAFIOSI Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “Sofia mi”.
20 Across Refusal seen in banana harvest (3) → NAH Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “banana harvest”.
21 Across Educate: typographic measure, illuminate, then measure again (9) → ENLIGHTEN Charade
Join three pieces end to end, 2, 5 and 2 letters long.
Down
1 Down Iron event is arranged into stock lists (11) → INVENTORIES Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “iron event is”.
2 Down Stagehand needs support and staff on set (7) → PROPMAN Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 4 and 3 letters long.
3 Down Curtailed match openers start things (5) → OPENS Deletion
Remove 2 letters from the middle of a longer word.
4 Down People are talking, initially, with a light touch (3) → PAT Initialism
Take the first letter of each: People, Are, Talking.
5 Down Global body joins the perishing, becoming eternal (7) → UNDYING Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 2 and 5 letters long.
6 Down Loud otters chase happy seals, initially forming Scottish waters (5) → LOCHS Initialism
Take the first letter of each: Loud, otters, chase, happy, seals.
9 Down Pilot cousin, oddly, undergoes fat-removal surgery (11) → LIPOSUCTION Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “pilot cousin”.
11 Down A shriek is found in baa, argh! (5) → AARGH Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “baa argh”.
13 Down Heaven above a seedy bar offers an extreme leap from a plane (3,4) → SKY DIVE Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 3 and 4 letters long.
15 Down Quarrel, or the radioactive debris left after a blast (4,3) → FALL OUT Double definition
Look for two different meanings of the same word.
16 Down Mentally prepare, or study of mind for short (5) → PSYCH Double definition
Look for two different meanings of the same word.
17 Down Clear haze from the windscreen - a defogger cut short (5) → DEFOG Deletion
Remove 3 letters from the end of a longer word.
19 Down Many enjoyed latest hit, initially - an old term for honey (3) → MEL Initialism
Take the first letter of each: Many, Enjoyed, Latest.