Today's The Guardian Cryptic Puzzle Crossword Clues & Answers

Clues & Answers For The Guardian Cryptic

(May 20, 2026)

ACROSS

• 1. Cheers one who'd expect to be paid to be an MP? (6) - Crossword Clue
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• 5. Light material suffering more snags if not new (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 9. Safe getting hot as Venus in the Louvre (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 10. Official Aussie pick-up counter (6) - Crossword Clue
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• 11. Putting two lots of uranium into affected corpuscles is dim! (12) - Crossword Clue
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• 13. Marine fish in abandoned clay (4) - Crossword Clue
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• 14. Oval's pitch initially breaking up till ice melted (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 17. Opera section with city situation (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 18. Frame in which beauty pageant winner appears? (4) - Crossword Clue
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• 20. A fibre carpet used to make flatpack kit, say (12) - Crossword Clue
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• 23. Wow, performing with a cigar! (6) - Crossword Clue
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• 24. Very into fancy lingerie but right off sweet-talk (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 25. Expert: 'Nessie is mostly brass' (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 26. Cat circling a rocking lead vocalist's equipment (6) - Crossword Clue
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DOWN

• 2. Fancy knocking off leader for paper? (4) - Crossword Clue
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• 3. Mark's house settlement's not finished (9) - Crossword Clue
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• 4. Lulu's half escaping depression in the old city (6) - Crossword Clue
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• 5. Cynically proposing futile measures - a 'two-fingered salute' way of governing? (7,8) - Crossword Clue
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• 6. Lyricist dancing - time for one very popular show (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 7. Foul's legal - linesman's heading off (5) - Crossword Clue
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• 8. Sushi: meant to be prepared with relish (10) - Crossword Clue
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• 12. End cut off cob stuffed with Parmesan cheese (10) - Crossword Clue
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• 15. Notice soldiers pinching one's bottom (9) - Crossword Clue
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• 16. Church head one books into rave for a game (8) - Crossword Clue
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• 19. Wonder if a motorhome's possessed by a Spice girl? (6) - Crossword Clue
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• 21. US state not allowed to mock (5) - Crossword Clue
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• 22. Nut-covered Latin dish (4) - Crossword Clue
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