Decryptic #31 - 28th July 2026
Solution & wordplay explained · Published 28 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
1R
E
2C
A
3P
4L
E
5G
H
O
R
6N
E
O
I
O
A
E
7S
E
R
G
E
8B
U
Z
Z
9S
A
W
K
C
O
E
C
S
10D
I
S
P
E
R
S
A
L
11U
M
P
O
C
L
T
R
O
12R
E
13C
O
N
N
E
C
T
I
R
E
O
L
N
14P
O
W
15I
N
16C
O
17N
C
E
R
T
L
E
N
A
A
B
18A
D
D
L
I
N
G
19K
L
U
T
20Z
T
N
E
E
T
O
21E
N
G
A
G
E
D
22D
I
T
T
O
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Across
1 Across Summarize, regarding a hat (5) → RECAP Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 2 and 3 letters long.
4 Across Limb attached to instrument makes a chicken breed (7) → LEGHORN Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 3 and 4 letters long.
7 Across Fabric that sounds like a wave rising, we hear (5) → SERGE Homophone
The answer sounds like “surge”.
8 Across Rumor about an old proverb produces a power tool (4,3) → BUZZ SAW Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 4 and 3 letters long.
10 Across Lapsed sir, oddly, organizes the scattering (9) → DISPERSAL Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “lapsed sir”.
11 Across Baseball official loses his temper, essentially (3) → UMP Deletion
Remove 3 letters from the end of a longer word.
12 Across Restore link after fixing the wiring (9) → RECONNECT Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 2 and 7 letters long.
14 Across Prisoner of war, comic-strip punch sound (3) → POW Double definition
Look for two different meanings of the same word.
15 Across Jointly performing live (2,7) → IN CONCERT Double definition
Look for two different meanings of the same word.
18 Across Confusing, when a gland ID gets scrambled (7) → ADDLING Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “gland id”.
19 Across Clumsy fool hidden in dark lutz routine (5) → KLUTZ Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “dark lutz”.
21 Across Occupied, offering a pledge after printer's unit and closing note (7) → ENGAGED Charade
Join three pieces end to end, 2, 4 and 1 letters long.
22 Across The same again: computer topic and time embraced by a chore (5) → DITTO Container
Put a 3-letter run inside a 2-letter word.
Down
1 Down Reservation, briefly, from 'to be' recalled in Spanish (3) → RES Reversal
Reverse a run of letters to build the answer, which begins with “R”.
2 Down Duped after fitting a bottle stopper, twisted like a spiral (11) → CORKSCREWED Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 4 and 7 letters long.
3 Down Portion initially found: people in every crowded exit (5) → PIECE Initialism
Take the first letter of each: People, In, Every, Crowded, Exit.
4 Down Wolves lurking inside a silo boss's office (5) → LOBOS Hidden word
The answer is hidden inside “silo boss”.
5 Down Antelope formed from zeal and gel, oddly mixed (7) → GAZELLE Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “zeal gel”.
6 Down Wren pints spilled, becoming paper for headlines (9) → NEWSPRINT Anagram
Rearrange the letters of “wren pints”.
9 Down Rumour, after fleeing hastily with a cask (11) → SCUTTLEBUTT Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 7 and 4 letters long.
10 Down Sign fitted to an entrance's serving dish (9) → DOORPLATE Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 4 and 5 letters long.
13 Down Cog housing two 'in's suggests minting (7) → COINING Container
Put a 4-letter run inside a 3-letter word.
16 Down Coop supplemented by five hundred: shut in (5) → CAGED Charade
Join two pieces end to end, 4 and 1 letters long.
17 Down Moved sinuously, headless, in the buff (5) → NAKED Deletion
Remove 1 letter from the start of a longer word.
20 Down Zebras Often Observed, initially, is an animal park (3) → ZOO Initialism
Take the first letter of each: Zebras, Often, Observed.