Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (31 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (35 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Moderate
Pro Tip: Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues - they're usually the easiest entry points!
Across Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | 1. Calendar month between Sha'ban and Shawwal | 7 |
| 2A | 8. Some solid marks | 7 |
| 3A | 15. "Here's the hard truth …" | 15 |
| 4A | 17. 46 years? | 15 |
| 5A | 18. Sudden movement | 5 |
| 6A | 19. Pinched | 5 |
| 7A | 20. ___ Maroni, Gotham City mobster in the DC Comics universe | 3 |
| 8A | 21. Runs superbly | 4 |
| 9A | 22. Bug | 5 |
| 10A | 23. Word on either side of "against" | 4 |
| 11A | 24. 1992 U2 hit inspired by German reunification | 3 |
| 12A | 25. Busby Berkeley musical film that introduced "I Only Have Eyes for You" | 5 |
| 13A | 26. Printing mark whose name is from the Latin for "is lacking" | 5 |
| 14A | 27. Financial reporter? | 8 |
| 15A | 29. Balances | 6 |
| 16A | 30. "You've called at a bad time" | 9 |
| 17A | 32. Heads | 6 |
| 18A | 35. Shiva, for example | 8 |
| 19A | 39. Suffix meaning "rule" | 5 |
| 20A | 40. Combinations with numbers and sets | 5 |
| 21A | 41. 24-Across co-producer, whose name is the song title spelled backward | 3 |
| 22A | 42. Climax of operational planning | 4 |
| 23A | 43. Brand for which General Foods distributed orange-handled coffeepots to restaurants | 5 |
| 24A | 44. Core supporters | 4 |
| 25A | 45. Ferrer who co-starred in "War and Peace," 1956 | 3 |
| 26A | 46. Shot-putter? | 5 |
| 27A | 47. Baba ghanouj, e.g. | 5 |
| 28A | 48. Where gold "beaver coins" were used as currency | 15 |
| 29A | 51. Green suit? | 15 |
| 30A | 52. Pricey catering option | 7 |
| 31A | 53. Scuffled, in dialect | 7 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Calendar month between Sha'ban and Shawwal"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the ninth month of the islamic calendar; the month of fasting; the holiest period for the islamic faith
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAMADAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "8. Some solid marks"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BPLUSES
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3A: "15. "Here's the hard truth …""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IHAVETOBEHONEST
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4A: "17. 46 years?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BIDENPRESIDENCY
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5A: "18. Sudden movement"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the beginning of anything
- Similar words include: first, offset, start up
- Opposite of: finish, end
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: START
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6A: "19. Pinched"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
- Similar words include: steal, slip
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOLE
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7A: "20. ___ Maroni, Gotham City mobster in the DC Comics universe"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAL
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8A: "21. Runs superbly"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity
- Similar words include: HUM, thrum, seethe
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUMS
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9A: "22. Bug"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GETTO
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10A: "23. Word on either side of "against""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a specific instance of feeling hopeful
- Similar words include: Bob Hope, trust, go for
- Opposite of: despair
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOPE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "24. 1992 U2 hit inspired by German reunification"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
- Similar words include: unrivaled, single, ace
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "25. Busby Berkeley musical film that introduced "I Only Have Eyes for You""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that informal terms for a (young) woman
- Similar words include: dame, skirt, bird
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAMES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "26. Printing mark whose name is from the Latin for "is lacking""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a mark used by an author or editor to indicate where something is to be inserted into a text
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARET
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "27. Financial reporter?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAXFILER
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15A: "29. Balances"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a cgs unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter; the viscosity of a fluid in which a force of one dyne per square centimeter maintains a velocity of 1 centimeter per second
- Similar words include: cool, assuredness, brace
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POISES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "30. "You've called at a bad time""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICANTTALK
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17A: "32. Heads"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a person who exercises control over workers
- Similar words include: emboss, chief, gaffer
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOSSES
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18A: "35. Shiva, for example"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HINDUGOD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "39. Suffix meaning "rule""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCHY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "40. Combinations with numbers and sets"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an unofficial association of people or groups
- Similar words include: isthmus, banding, striation
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BANDS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "41. 24-Across co-producer, whose name is the song title spelled backward"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "42. Climax of operational planning"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DDAY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "43. Brand for which General Foods distributed orange-handled coffeepots to restaurants"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANKA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "44. Core supporters"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that installation from which a military force initiates operations
- Similar words include: base of operations, foundation, substructure
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "45. Ferrer who co-starred in "War and Peace," 1956"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "46. Shot-putter?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)
- Similar words include: harbor, suck, nursemaid
- Opposite of: bottlefeed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NURSE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "47. Baba ghanouj, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that food prepared by cooking and straining or processed in a blender
- Similar words include: strain
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PUREE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "48. Where gold "beaver coins" were used as currency"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREGONTERRITORY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "51. Green suit?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JUNIOREXECUTIVE
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30A: "52. Pricey catering option"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPENBAR
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31A: "53. Scuffled, in dialect"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RASSLED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Sharp blow to the chest | 7 |
| 2D | 2. Staple in a poke bowl | 7 |
| 3D | 3. Titular figure in a scandalous John Singer Sargent portrait | 7 |
| 4D | 4. Maintains | 5 |
| 5D | 5. Negative impression | 4 |
| 6D | 6. Sports org. in the 2024 film "Challengers" | 3 |
| 7D | 7. Longship builders | 8 |
| 8D | 8. Intoxicates | 6 |
| 9D | 9. ___ Farnsworth, inventor dubbed "The Father of Television" | 5 |
| 10D | 10. Treasure hunter's find | 4 |
| 11D | 11. La ___ (leading Belgian French-language TV channel) | 3 |
| 12D | 12. Mocap suit components | 7 |
| 13D | 13. Break character? | 7 |
| 14D | 14. Slender hospital tools | 7 |
| 15D | 16. Especially gratifying, so to speak | 13 |
| 16D | 22. Done-up dos | 5 |
| 17D | 23. Eastern lines | 5 |
| 18D | 25. Very iffy | 5 |
| 19D | 26. They might go faster with zinc | 5 |
| 20D | 28. Suspect | 5 |
| 21D | 29. British slang for a police car | 5 |
| 22D | 31. Improviser at a workbench | 8 |
| 23D | 32. Cursed vibe | 7 |
| 24D | 33. Call at the plate? | 7 |
| 25D | 34. Geometry term from the Greek for "uneven" | 7 |
| 26D | 36. Application for smoother shifting | 7 |
| 27D | 37. Even, or nearly so, at Wimbledon | 7 |
| 28D | 38. Naïve-looking, in a way | 7 |
| 29D | 40. Transaction with no money down | 6 |
| 30D | 43. Leader of the Afrofuturistic jazz collective Arkestra for almost four decades | 5 |
| 31D | 44. Seat fillers | 5 |
| 32D | 46. Greenhorn, informally | 4 |
| 33D | 47. Oldest four-letter papal name | 4 |
| 34D | 49. Call in a card game | 3 |
| 35D | 50. Early major producer of vacuum tubes | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Sharp blow to the chest"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIBSHOT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Staple in a poke bowl"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHITUNA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Titular figure in a scandalous John Singer Sargent portrait"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADAMEX
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Maintains"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that report or maintain
- Similar words include: swan, say, swear
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVERS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Negative impression"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening)
- Similar words include: gouge, indent, ding
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DENT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Sports org. in the 2024 film "Challengers""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a nucleotide derived from adenosine that occurs in muscle tissue; the major source of energy for cellular reactions
- Similar words include: adenosine triphosphate
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Longship builders"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a native or inhabitant of norway
- Similar words include: Norse, Norwegian, Norseman
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NORSEMEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Intoxicates"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that make dull or stupid or muddle with drunkenness or infatuation
- Similar words include: besot, stupefy
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BESOTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. ___ Farnsworth, inventor dubbed "The Father of Television""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PHILO
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10D: "10. Treasure hunter's find"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a deposit of valuable ore occurring within definite boundaries separating it from surrounding rocks
- Similar words include: load
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LODE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. La ___ (leading Belgian French-language TV channel)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Mocap suit components"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as heat or pressure or light or motion etc.) and responds to it in a distinctive manner
- Similar words include: detector, sensor, sensing element
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENSORS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. Break character?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who escapes
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESCAPEE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14D: "14. Slender hospital tools"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that small needlelike appendage; especially the feeding organ of a tardigrade
- Similar words include: stylet
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STYLETS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "16. Especially gratifying, so to speak"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BETTERTHANSEX
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16D: "22. Done-up dos"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a gay festivity
- Similar words include: jamboree, blowout, gala
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GALAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "23. Eastern lines"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an epigrammatic japanese verse form of three short lines
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAIKU
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "25. Very iffy"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that of uncertain outcome; especially fraught with risk; - new yorker
- Similar words include: chancy, chanceful, dodgy
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DICEY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "26. They might go faster with zinc"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs)
- Similar words include: coldness, low temperature, common cold
- Opposite of: hotness
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COLDS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "28. Suspect"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that of or relating to or resembling fish
- Similar words include: suspect, suspicious, shady
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FISHY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "29. British slang for a police car"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that large black-and-white herbivorous mammal of bamboo forests of china and tibet; in some classifications considered a member of the bear family or of a separate family ailuropodidae
- Similar words include: cat bear, panda bear, giant panda
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PANDA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "31. Improviser at a workbench"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an unskilled person who tries to fix or mend
- Similar words include: tinker, fiddler
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TINKERER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "32. Cursed vibe"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BADMOJO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "33. Call at the plate?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORDERUP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "34. Geometry term from the Greek for "uneven""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that of a triangle having three sides of different lengths
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCALENE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "36. Application for smoother shifting"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEAROIL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "37. Even, or nearly so, at Wimbledon"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONSERVE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "38. Naïve-looking, in a way"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOEEYED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "40. Transaction with no money down"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an equal exchange
- Similar words include: swap, swop, trade
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BARTER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "43. Leader of the Afrofuturistic jazz collective Arkestra for almost four decades"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUNRA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "44. Seat fillers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that thick end of the handle
- Similar words include: butt joint, cigaret, derriere
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BUTTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32D: "46. Greenhorn, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOOB
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33D: "47. Oldest four-letter papal name"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIUS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34D: "49. Call in a card game"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that strong liquor flavored with juniper berries
- Similar words include: snare, cotton gin, knock rummy
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35D: "50. Early major producer of vacuum tubes"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RCA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Expert Solving Strategies
Start Smart
Begin with fill-in-the-blank clues and short 3-4 letter words. These are your foundation.
Decode the Clues
Question marks indicate wordplay or puns. "Maybe" suggests multiple interpretations.
Use Cross-References
Let intersecting letters guide you. One correct answer unlocks several others.
Build Vocabulary
Common crossword words repeat. Learning them speeds up future solving.
Today's Puzzle Stats
31 Across Clues
35 Down Clues
66 Total Clues
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