Today's Minute Cryptic Answer, Explained - November 14, 2026

Minute Cryptic Answers And Hints - November 14, 2026 Solve today's Minute Cryptic clue, 'What are _atherine’s options to stop drinking? (4)' Published Nov 13, 2026, 11:18 AM EST Allyson Cochran is a Chicago-based Editor at TheGamer who has worked as a journalist since 2020 and in games journalism since 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and focuses primarily on guides, previews, and developer interviews, with particular expertise in cozy indie games and live-service FPS titles. She has interviewed numerous game directors, including those of games like Overwatch and Dead by Daylight. Allyson has written and edited thousands of guides, and she genuinely loves every minute of it. Today's Minute Cryptic is here to put your wordplay skills to the test. These clues might look like ordinary sentences at first glance, but there's usually plenty going on beneath the surface. If you're staring at today's clue wondering how on earth you're supposed to get from the wording to an answer, don't worry. We've got you covered. This guide breaks the clue down piece by piece, explaining the wordplay and definition and how they work together. If you're still stuck, you'll also find an extra hint to nudge you in the right direction before we reveal the full answer and explain exactly how everything comes together. Hints For Today's Minute Cryptic Clue (November 14, 2026) Today's clue is 'What are _atherine’s options to stop drinking? (4)'. Below, we'll break down everything you need to solve it. What Is The Wordplay? Instead of giving away the answer immediately, let this section do a little cryptic detective work first. Take a peek below if you want a nudge toward what the clue is asking you to do. This clue uses a rebus: the answer describes what's happening in the clue. A letter is missing, and there are multiple ways to fill the gap. Our answer needs to capture those possibilities while fitting the definition. What Is The Definition? Need a little help figuring out the definition? We've got you covered! This part of the clue points you toward the meaning of the answer. The definition is 'to stop drinking,' and the answer should fit that description. The question mark hints that we need to stretch the definition a little. Answer Hints This hint gets you considerably closer to today's answer without dropping the whole thing in your lap, so you can still enjoy that little ohhhh moment when everything clicks. Think about how you might seal a bottle of wine once you've finished drinking it. If the clue has completely defeated you, we reveal the answer and explain exactly how it all comes together below. Expand the spoiler below for the answer and a breakdown of how the clue all comes together. The answer is 'cork'. “To stop drinking” is the definition, referring to sealing a bottle of wine with a cork once you've finished drinking it. “_atherine's” is the wordplay fodder, with the missing first letter being the important detail. “What are _atherine's options?” asks us to consider the different letters that could fill the gap. Catherine can be spelled with either a C or a K, giving us C or K. Saying C or K aloud sounds like CORK. Putting it together, CORK satisfies both the wordplay and the definition: to cork a bottle is to stop drinking from it.