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Spoiler: the reported answer to the October 6, 2026, Minute Cryptic is TUMBLING. In “Costumier lost three coats and jewellery in the dryer?” (8), removing three outer pairs from COSTUMIER leaves TUM; “jewellery” supplies BLING. Together they make TUMBLING, which fits “in the dryer?”
The clue and answer
Clue: “Costumier lost three coats and jewellery in the dryer?” (8)
Reported answer: TUMBLING. The parsing and answer are reported by solution pages, and an independent archive confirms the answer. These are secondary sources rather than an official puzzle page.
How the wordplay works
“Lost three coats” leaves TUM
Here, “coats” means the outside letters of COSTUMIER. Remove three pairs from the edges, working inward:
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- Remove C and R: OSTUMIE
- Remove O and E: STUMI
- Remove S and I: TUM
So “three coats” means three pairs—six letters altogether—not just three letters.
“Jewellery” gives BLING
BLING is a slang synonym for jewellery. Put it after the remaining TUM: TUM + BLING = TUMBLING.
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Why TUMBLING fits
“In the dryer?” is the playful definition: clothes tumble in a dryer. The question mark signals the jokey wording. Cryptic clues can use many different devices; this clue’s particular construction combines an outer-letter deletion with a synonym.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who submitted the clue?
One solution report credits the clue to Liam Runnalls. That attribution does not appear in the independent archive, so it is best treated as a report from that source rather than independently confirmed.
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