↓ Clue, hints & answer
Stuck on the Hard Cluword from August 22, 2026? The full cryptic clue, all four progressive hints, and the answer with a short explanation are below.
“Take one up or a long, hard one at someone.”
STAIR
A double meaning with a pun: you 'take one up' a stair, while 'a long, hard stare at someone' plays on the homophone STAIR/STARE. The hint that it's an anagram of 'tiara' (plus the letter swap) nudges you toward the spelling with -AIR.