Decryptic

Decryptic #43 - 9th August 2026

Solution & wordplay explained · Published 9 August 2026

Ghost theme: Boats TUGBOAT · SUBMARINE · GALLEON · FERRY

The solved grid and a clue-by-clue explanation of every piece of wordplay in this Decryptic daily. Browse every past solution, or get the app to play the older crosswords yourself. Today's crossword is always free to play.

The solved grid

Across

1 Across Bread at counter scrambled makes a sweet snack (4,3)DATE BAR Anagram Anagram of “bread at”.
4 Across Makeshift floats found in aircraft steered off course (5)RAFTS Hidden word Hidden inside “aircraft steered”.
8 Across Silky fabric with wrongdoing, followed by arriving, gives total earnings (5,6)GROSS INCOME Charade GROS + SIN + COME.
11 Across Wanderer housed by lead gives words of wisdom (7)PROVERB Container ROVER inside PB.
12 Across Caught in rag, turned round, forms trimmings for the plate (5)GARNI Reversal IN RAG reversed.
13 Across Every autumn, tourists initially consume (3)EAT Initialism First letters of: Every, Autumn, Tourists.
14 Across Fireplace docked leaves seat of emotion (5)HEART Deletion HEARTH without its initial H.
15 Across We hear it'll jell into a hair styling substance (3)GEL Homophone Sounds like “jell”.
16 Across In, then a friar, refers you further down the page (5)INFRA Charade IN + FRA.
18 Across Cecil is, oddly, frozen drips (7)ICICLES Anagram Anagram of “Cecil is”.
19 Across Reverse the situation, or alter the course of events (4,3,4)TURN THE TIDE Double definition Two separate definitions of the same word.
20 Across More cunning, with caustic solution held between south and right (5)SLYER Container LYE inside SR.
21 Across A son with acne, oddly arranged, produces a sound (7)SONANCE Anagram Anagram of “son acne”.

Down

2 Down A pull on a small craft is essentially a towboat (7)TUGBOAT Charade TUG + BOAT.
3 Down A brother, Ken, wrecked by deep grief (6,5)BROKEN HEART Anagram Anagram of “a brother Ken”.
5 Down Ground wheat sounds like a garden bloom (5)FLOUR Homophone Sounds like “flower”.
6 Down Experts, especially senior physicians in a hospital (11)SPECIALISTS Double definition Two separate definitions of the same word.
7 Down Values highly, as currency does over time (11)APPRECIATES Double definition Two separate definitions of the same word.
9 Down Underwater vessel, also a long filled sandwich (9)SUBMARINE Double definition Two separate definitions of the same word.
10 Down Ability to see in darkness, secretly found in a knight visionary (5,6)NIGHT VISION Hidden word Hidden inside “knight visionary”.
15 Down Bitterness with a long age gives old trading ship (7)GALLEON Charade GALL + EON.
17 Down Cook clutching a hesitation crosses the water (5)FERRY Container ER inside FRY.

How this puzzle was checked

Every clue in this crossword was verified against its own wordplay by software, then the finished puzzle was read and edited by hand before publication: definitions, indicators, enumerations and surface readings all get looked at, and clues that don't hold up are rewritten. The editorial standards set out what that covers.

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