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 (40 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (38 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging
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. Necklace fastener | 5 |
| 2A | 6. Physique, slangily | 3 |
| 3A | 9. "___ to that!" | 4 |
| 4A | 13. Textile city NNE of Paris | 5 |
| 5A | 14. New wave band with the hit "Whip It" | 4 |
| 6A | 15. Improvise, in jazz | 4 |
| 7A | 16. Stared rudely | 5 |
| 8A | 17. Late-night kitchen visit, e.g. | 4 |
| 9A | 18. Stench | 4 |
| 10A | 19. Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom | 13 |
| 11A | 22. Home for pigs | 3 |
| 12A | 23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe | 4 |
| 13A | 24. Really, really cool | 6 |
| 14A | 27. "My dude!" | 3 |
| 15A | 28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs | 4 |
| 16A | 30. ___-Hulk | 3 |
| 17A | 31. Charge for airing a commercial | 5 |
| 18A | 34. Fictional lab assistant with a hunchback | 4 |
| 19A | 35. Stylish | 4 |
| 20A | 36. Capital of the Gem State, in a mailing address | 7 |
| 21A | 38. Possible cybercrime, informally | 7 |
| 22A | 40. M.I.T. Mystery ___ (annual puzzle competition) | 4 |
| 23A | 41. Close by | 4 |
| 24A | 43. Corrosion signs | 5 |
| 25A | 44. Stadium cheer | 3 |
| 26A | 45. Glance through | 4 |
| 27A | 46. Reader's Digest or Golf Digest, in brief | 3 |
| 28A | 47. Where clams are served | 6 |
| 29A | 49. Knotted (up) | 4 |
| 30A | 51. Rep.'s counterpart | 3 |
| 31A | 54. "Makes no difference to me" | 13 |
| 32A | 57. Actress Kendrick | 4 |
| 33A | 59. Hourly pay rate | 4 |
| 34A | 60. Flock that honks | 5 |
| 35A | 61. Follow directions | 4 |
| 36A | 62. Conga, for one | 4 |
| 37A | 63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium | 5 |
| 38A | 64. Scottish girl | 4 |
| 39A | 65. Place to get a rubdown | 3 |
| 40A | 66. Voting spots | 5 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Necklace fastener"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together
- Similar words include: clutches, grip, brooch
- Opposite of: unclasp, unbuckle
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "6. Physique, slangily"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that alternative names for the body of a human being
- Similar words include: chassis, human body, form
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3A: "9. "___ to that!""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a primeval egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at thebes
- Similar words include: Amon, Amun
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4A: "13. Textile city NNE of Paris"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an industrial city in northern france near the belgian border; was the medieval capital of flanders
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5A: "14. New wave band with the hit "Whip It""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "15. Improvise, in jazz"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
- Similar words include: tease, flirt, vamper
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "16. Stared rudely"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that look at with amorous intentions
- Similar words include: ogle
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8A: "17. Late-night kitchen visit, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a sudden short attack
- Similar words include: maraud, bust, foray
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "18. Stench"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any property detected by the olfactory system
- Similar words include: olfactory sensation, olfactory perception, scent
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "19. Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "22. Home for pigs"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid
- Similar words include: pigsty, hordeolum, stye
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
- Similar words include: tike, boor, peasant
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "24. Really, really cool"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "27. "My dude!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that trademark for a powerful operating system
- Similar words include: UNIX operating system, UNIX system
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "30. ___-Hulk"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17A: "31. Charge for airing a commercial"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18A: "34. Fictional lab assistant with a hunchback"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "35. Stylish"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that elegance by virtue of being fashionable
- Similar words include: chicness, last word, stylishness
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "36. Capital of the Gem State, in a mailing address"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "38. Possible cybercrime, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "40. M.I.T. Mystery ___ (annual puzzle competition)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that englishman and pre-raphaelite painter (1827-1910)
- Similar words include: Leigh Hunt, hunt down, Holman Hunt
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "41. Close by"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that move towards
- Similar words include: come near, draw near, nearly
- Opposite of: far
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "43. Corrosion signs"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture
- Similar words include: eat, rust fungus, rust
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "44. Stadium cheer"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "45. Glance through"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the act of scanning; systematic examination of a prescribed region
- Similar words include: glance over, rake, CAT scan
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "46. Reader's Digest or Golf Digest, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
- Similar words include: magazine
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "47. Where clams are served"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "49. Knotted (up)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord
- Similar words include: connect, draw, level
- Opposite of: untied, disconnect
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "51. Rep.'s counterpart"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "54. "Makes no difference to me""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32A: "57. Actress Kendrick"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a former copper coin of pakistan and india
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "59. Hourly pay rate"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that something that remunerates
- Similar words include: pay, salary, earnings
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34A: "60. Flock that honks"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
- Similar words include: goose, goofball, jackass
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35A: "61. Follow directions"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that be obedient to
- Opposite of: disobey
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
36A: "62. Conga, for one"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
- Similar words include: cram, grind away, bone
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
37A: "63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
38A: "64. Scottish girl"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a girl or young woman who is unmarried
- Similar words include: lassie, jeune fille, young girl
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
39A: "65. Place to get a rubdown"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a health resort near a spring or at the seaside
- Similar words include: health spa, health club, resort hotel
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
40A: "66. Voting spots"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the place where people vote
- Similar words include: public opinion poll, crown, canvass
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Thickens, as cream | 5 |
| 2D | 2. Not heavy | 5 |
| 3D | 3. Narrow way between city buildings | 5 |
| 4D | 4. Whole bunch | 4 |
| 5D | 5. Horse's ancestral line | 8 |
| 6D | 6. Hearty embrace | 7 |
| 7D | 7. Roman poet who wrote "Metamorphoses" | 4 |
| 8D | 8. Dull-witted sort | 8 |
| 9D | 9. Eschew | 5 |
| 10D | 10. Frantic scrambles | 9 |
| 11D | 11. Rock subgenre with confessional lyrics | 3 |
| 12D | 12. "All Things Considered" airer | 3 |
| 13D | 14. "Fiddlesticks!" | 4 |
| 14D | 20. D.C.'s National ___ | 3 |
| 15D | 21. Kind of number on an old business card | 3 |
| 16D | 25. Change gears | 5 |
| 17D | 26. Religious offshoots | 5 |
| 18D | 27. Top-tier | 4 |
| 19D | 29. Pinot ___ | 4 |
| 20D | 31. Give 0 stars in a review, say | 5 |
| 21D | 32. One giving support during childbirth | 5 |
| 22D | 33. High-quality reds and whites | 9 |
| 23D | 34. Something to noodle on | 4 |
| 24D | 35. Drink very quickly | 4 |
| 25D | 37. Glitterati | 8 |
| 26D | 39. Shortfall of exports vis-Ã -vis imports | 8 |
| 27D | 42. One of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean | 7 |
| 28D | 45. Droop | 3 |
| 29D | 46. "It's just OK" | 3 |
| 30D | 48. Occasions for blowing out candles on cakes, informally | 5 |
| 31D | 50. Agenda bullet point | 4 |
| 32D | 51. Linger (on), as a topic | 5 |
| 33D | 52. Art supporter | 5 |
| 34D | 53. Mike who voiced Shrek in "Shrek" | 5 |
| 35D | 55. Wyatt at the O.K. Corral | 4 |
| 36D | 56. Make over | 4 |
| 37D | 57. Early leader in instant messaging | 3 |
| 38D | 58. Org. for the Raptors, but not the Blue Jays | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Thickens, as cream"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid
- Similar words include: clog, coagulum, clabber
- Opposite of: homogenize
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Not heavy"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
- Similar words include: easy, Light Within, illumine
- Opposite of: extinguish, heavy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Narrow way between city buildings"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a narrow street with walls on both sides
- Similar words include: alleyway, back street, skittle alley
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Whole bunch"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
- Similar words include: heap, mountain, spate
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Horse's ancestral line"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the descendants of one individual
- Similar words include: stemma, stock, line
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Hearty embrace"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Roman poet who wrote "Metamorphoses""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that roman poet remembered for his elegiac verses on love (43 bc - ad 17)
- Similar words include: Publius Ovidius Naso
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Dull-witted sort"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. Eschew"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
- Similar words include: head off, obviate, annul
- Opposite of: validate, confront
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Frantic scrambles"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. Rock subgenre with confessional lyrics"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. "All Things Considered" airer"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "14. "Fiddlesticks!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14D: "20. D.C.'s National ___"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition
- Similar words include: menagerie, zoological garden
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "21. Kind of number on an old business card"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that duplicator that transmits the copy by wire or radio
- Similar words include: facsimile, facsimile machine, telefax
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16D: "25. Change gears"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an event in which something is displaced without rotation
- Similar words include: shift key, agitate, transfer
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "26. Religious offshoots"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a subdivision of a larger religious group
- Similar words include: sect, religious sect, faction
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "27. Top-tier"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the supreme effort one can make
- Similar words include: Charles Herbert Best, sound, serious
- Opposite of: badly, bad
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "29. Pinot ___"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "31. Give 0 stars in a review, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that find repugnant
- Similar words include: execrate, loathe, abominate
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "32. One giving support during childbirth"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an assistant (often the father of the soon-to-be-born child) who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes
- Similar words include: birthing coach, monitrice, labor coach
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "33. High-quality reds and whites"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "34. Something to noodle on"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
- Similar words include: melodic theme, theme, approximation
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "35. Drink very quickly"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the dull explosive noise made by an engine
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "37. Glitterati"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "39. Shortfall of exports vis-Ã -vis imports"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "42. One of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the largest of the islands comprising antigua and barbuda
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "45. Droop"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a shape that sags
- Similar words include: flag, swag, sag down
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "46. "It's just OK""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "48. Occasions for blowing out candles on cakes, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "50. Agenda bullet point"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
- Similar words include: particular, point, detail
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32D: "51. Linger (on), as a topic"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that think moodily or anxiously about something
- Similar words include: inhabit, lie, harp
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33D: "52. Art supporter"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34D: "53. Mike who voiced Shrek in "Shrek""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35D: "55. Wyatt at the O.K. Corral"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
36D: "56. Make over"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that do over, as of (part of) a house
- Similar words include: remodel, refashion, reconstruct
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
37D: "57. Early leader in instant messaging"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Remember this word for future puzzles!
38D: "58. Org. for the Raptors, but not the Blue Jays"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
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
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