Cryptic clues — 10 October 2026

Answers & explanations

1. FIRST (5)

   Newsdesk hush as the returns trickle in. In takes FIRST from firstly — initial, the opening figure. Coffee rings and a humming printer sell the hide as election night, not a bare ordinal.

2. POSITIVE (8)

   Foyer mutter after the first-night notices land. Part of parks POSITIVE inside positively — sure, positively certain. Programme stubs, damp coats and a humming lift sell the long hide as theatre weather, host untouched.

3. SHELL (5)

   Shore rockpool when the tide still laps. Casing is the shell sense — a hard outer cover. Briefly clips the last letter of shelly, leaving SHELL. Soft brine and a lukewarm picnic cloak the chop as beach mutter rather than a biology card.

4. SEXY (4)

   Court corridor whisper after a flimsy alibi. Taking the last letters of witness, excuse, six, primary gives SEXY, which is erotic. Bail forms and a raised eyebrow hide the terminals in one charged aside.

5. LIME (4)

   Orchard joke: the ideal kiwi straight from the tree. Terminal letters of ideal kiwi from tree, marked by 'ultimately', spell LIME. Fruit is the definition — a lime — while the New Zealand fruit talk misleads nicely.

6. DENSE (5)

   Fog on the motorway. Heavy means dense; tense after a letter swap turns T into D, giving DENSE.

7. SKIP (4)

   Twin definitions: skip a light springing gait, and skip as to neglect or omit. Playground surface, adult reading.

8. DAGGER (6)

   The answer is DAGGER. The definition is 'Blade'. Starting from the fodder DIGGER, change the letter I to A to form DAGGER.

9. HUTCH (5)

   Shack. HUTCH comes from the first letters of Humble, Under, Tree, Cabin, House.

10. CHANGER (7)

    Kitchen bench when the scales still hum. Vary yields CHANGE, recipe R — CHANGER, a modifier of the mix. Steam and a sticky spoon sell vary-then-recipe as cook mutter, letters soft on the surface.