The Guardian Cryptic puzzle clues 2026 May 26

• Barking Scot has scraggly beard - even for a poet (8) Crossword Clue
• Brief Encounter at start of quarantine: you said, 'That's horrible, that is' (7) Crossword Clue
• Brief stops Romeos taking forever (8) Crossword Clue
• Canniness concealing squares (5) Crossword Clue
• Chooses shady spot (4) Crossword Clue
• Dislike of despicable supervillain leads to dangerous game ending (6) Crossword Clue
• Elbowing youth aside, setter's a hit among 28 (3,6,4,2) Crossword Clue
• Emperor having cameo in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (4) Crossword Clue
• Have I got it in me to be 'nice'? (7) Crossword Clue
• Honest to God, I burn within? (1,5) Crossword Clue
• Hong Kong accepts American protection (4) Crossword Clue
• In suspense? Half excited? Try always turning round (4) Crossword Clue
• Long shot, but here's an opportunity to diet (4,6) Crossword Clue
• Make provision for poison tentacle tips in a frisky toad (5,2) Crossword Clue
• Mistake to put 'male' after only matching gender observed at birth (8) Crossword Clue
• 'Morally flawed protagonist' for 28 is another I messed up (4-4) Crossword Clue
• Once more assigns blame for space to play on six courts (10) Crossword Clue
• Reserve at port grew cold (4,4) Crossword Clue
• See 15 Crossword Clue
• See 17 Crossword Clue
• See 17 Down Crossword Clue
• See 26 Crossword Clue
• Source of Russian news takes on the Spanish threads (6) Crossword Clue
• Teacher prepares fruit for markers (10) Crossword Clue
• These knocked back by Westminster set if drunk (8) Crossword Clue
• The spies' line of argument (6) Crossword Clue
• Where Angelou and Auden are put on the rack for collection favoured by 28? (3,8,5,10) Crossword Clue
• Windy mansion that makes one go blind? (7) Crossword Clue