Minute Cryptic Puzzle Detail

Difficult to hold onto love with her head elsewhere... she's a keeperMinute Cryptic Answer

Q: What is the clue for Minute Cryptic #172?

The clue is "Difficult to hold onto love with her head elsewhere... she's a keeper".

Q: How do the definition, indicator, and fodder hints help?

Definition: Our definition here is 'she's a keeper', and our answer will be a word for someone who's a keeper.; Indicator: This clue's indicators are 'to hold onto', 'with', 'head', and 'elsewhere'. One of these is a deletion indicator suggesting that part of some fodder isn't present. Another is a selection indicator naming the position of an important letter in neighbouring fodder. A third is a containing indicator - some fodder will go around the outside of some other fodder, containing it. And 'with' is a simple joining word: what comes before it is next to or 'with' what follows.; Fodder: This clue's fodder is 'Difficult', 'love', and 'her', and two of them need substitutes. One substitute is a synonym and the other needs a classic cryptic single-letter substitute (google 'difficult', 'love', or 'her' with 'cryptic crossword meaning' and one of them will yield results). We'll use these two substitutes with the letters of the third piece of fodder to construct our answer, as guided by the clue's indicator(s).

The Minute Cryptic #172 answer for Friday, August 7, 2026 is HOARDER. Review the clue, answer length, definition, indicator, and fodder hints.

Puzzle #172Friday, August 7, 2026

Puzzle Number

#172

Puzzle Date

Friday, August 7, 2026

Average Par

Difficult to hold onto love with her head elsewhere... she's a keeper Minute Cryptic Answer

Clue: Difficult to hold onto love with her head elsewhere... she's a keeper

Answer length: 7

Answer: HOARDER

How to solve this Minute Cryptic clue

The clue “Difficult to hold onto love with her head elsewhere... she's a keeper” resolves to HOARDER. Minute Cryptic clues usually combine a direct definition with wordplay instructions, so the breakdown below keeps the clue wording visible for searchers and solvers.

Definition

Our definition here is 'she's a keeper', and our answer will be a word for someone who's a keeper.

Indicator

This clue's indicators are 'to hold onto', 'with', 'head', and 'elsewhere'. One of these is a deletion indicator suggesting that part of some fodder isn't present. Another is a selection indicator naming the position of an important letter in neighbouring fodder. A third is a containing indicator - some fodder will go around the outside of some other fodder, containing it. And 'with' is a simple joining word: what comes before it is next to or 'with' what follows.

Fodder

This clue's fodder is 'Difficult', 'love', and 'her', and two of them need substitutes. One substitute is a synonym and the other needs a classic cryptic single-letter substitute (google 'difficult', 'love', or 'her' with 'cryptic crossword meaning' and one of them will yield results). We'll use these two substitutes with the letters of the third piece of fodder to construct our answer, as guided by the clue's indicator(s).

Today's Clue

“Difficult to hold onto love with her head elsewhere... she's a keeper”

Answer length: 7

Progressive Hints

Reveal one hint at a time to stay spoiler-safe while you work through the clue.

Final Answer

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