Minute Cryptic October 23 2026 Answer

The Friday Minute Cryptic is a single cryptic clue you can solve in about a minute. Read the clue, take the hints one at a time, and reveal the answer with the full wordplay explained.

PAR3
AVERAGE3
LETTERS7
SETTERMember: Supware
THE CLUESPOILERS HIDDEN

“Butterflies, beginning to break free from many cocoons, exit after metamorphosis (7)”

HINTS, ONE AT A TIME

This clue's indicators are 'beginning', 'to break free from', 'cocoons', and 'after metamorphosis'. One is an anagram indicator, suggesting that some neighbouring letters will undergo a transformation. Another is a containing indicator – some fodder needs to go inside other fodder. There's a selection indicator, naming the position of an important letter in neighbouring fodder, and a deletion indicator, telling us that certain fodder will escape.

This clue's fodder is 'many' and 'exit'. We'll use these letters (or some of them) to construct our answer, as guided by the clue's indicator(s).

Our definition here is 'Butterflies', and our answer will be another word for that.

THE ANSWER
ANXIETY
Anagram

Definition: Butterflies

This clue's fodder is 'many' and 'exit'. We'll use these letters (or some of them) to construct our answer, as guided by the clue's indicator(s).

Our definition here is 'Butterflies', and our answer will be another word for that.

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See the dictionary entry for anxiety →

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