Stylish family saying "au revoir" to French friend (3)

The Minute Cryptic clue “Stylish family saying "au revoir" to French friend” (3) was set for Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Below is the answer — blurred until you tap — followed by the definition, the wordplay and why the letters land where they do.

Minute Cryptic · August 25, 2026

Stylish family saying "au revoir" to French friend

(3)

The answer isFLY

No spoilers — the answer stays blurred until you tap.

Letters 3Device DeletionSet by Sean Rich (community)Par 2Solvers 16,547

The clue, colour-coded

Stylish family saying "au revoir" to French friend
DefinitionWordplay / fodderLinking words

How this clue works

The definition

Stylish

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

The wordplay

family + friend

This clue's fodder is 'family' and 'friend'. We'll need to use the letters of one of these with a specified substitution for the other to reach our answer, as guided by the clue's indicator(s).

The answer

FLY

The clue reads “Stylish family saying "au revoir" to French friend” (3). The definition part — “Stylish” — points straight at FLY, and the rest of the clue builds it with deletion wordplay.

Minute Cryptic publishes a short walkthrough for this clue — watch Sean Rich’s own explanation →

What FLY means

/flaɪ/noun
noun

Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.

noun

(non-technical) Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).

Synonyms

fell, vanish, vaporize, wing

This clue’s puzzle day

This clue was the Minute Cryptic for Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Open the August 25, 2026 puzzle page for that day’s write-up, or browse the full Minute Cryptic archive.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the answer to “Stylish family saying "au revoir" to French friend”?
The answer is FLY (3 letters). Tap the reveal button above to see it in the answer card.
How do I read a cryptic clue like this?
Every cryptic clue has two halves: a straight definition (at the start or the end) and a piece of wordplay that builds the same word letter by letter. Find the definition first, count the letters from the enumeration, then work out which trick the rest of the clue is playing.
Is there a new Minute Cryptic every day?
Yes — one cryptic clue a day at minutecryptic.com, plus community-set clues. We publish each day’s answer and breakdown here shortly after it goes live.