Child flies military aircraft, gaining ground on the slower pilots (7)
The Minute Cryptic clue “Child flies military aircraft, gaining ground on the slower pilots” (7) was set for Monday, August 24, 2026. Below is the answer — blurred until you tap — followed by the definition, the wordplay and why the letters land where they do.
Child flies military aircraft, gaining ground on the slower pilots
(7)
No spoilers — the answer stays blurred until you tap.
The clue, colour-coded
How this clue works
The definition
Child flies
Our definition here is 'Child flies', and our answer will be a word for that.The wordplay
military aircraft, gaining ground on the slower
This clue's fodder is 'military aircraft, gaining ground on the slower'. We'll use these letters (or some of them) to construct our answer, as guided by the clue's indicator(s).The answer
The clue reads “Child flies military aircraft, gaining ground on the slower pilots” (7). The definition part — “Child flies” — points straight at MAGGOTS, and the rest of the clue builds it through wordplay.
Minute Cryptic publishes a short walkthrough for this clue — watch Luc E’s own explanation →
What MAGGOTS means
A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipterous insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter.
A worthless person.
“Drop and give me fifty, maggot.”grub
This clue’s puzzle day
This clue was the Minute Cryptic for Monday, August 24, 2026. Open the August 24, 2026 puzzle page for that day’s write-up, or browse the full Minute Cryptic archive.