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 (71 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (69 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky
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. Sacsayhuamán fortress builders | 5 |
| 2A | 6. Literary forerunner of Captain Hook | 4 |
| 3A | 10. Many an Alpha Beta in "Revenge of the Nerds" | 4 |
| 4A | 14. Help-wanted letters | 3 |
| 5A | 17. Fermented vegan protein | 6 |
| 6A | 19. Wrestler/actor John | 4 |
| 7A | 20. Coin with 12 stars around the border | 4 |
| 8A | 21. Align | 4 |
| 9A | 22. Home of the legendary folk hero at 116-Across | 11 |
| 10A | 24. One involved with checks and balances | 9 |
| 11A | 26. Without | 4 |
| 12A | 27. Green spaces | 8 |
| 13A | 29. Hero of Arabian tales | 7 |
| 14A | 30. In the past | 3 |
| 15A | 31. ___ Mahal | 3 |
| 16A | 32. Expertise demonstrated by 116-Across in a fabled feat of precision | 12 |
| 17A | 34. Home Run ___ (annual M.L.B. event) | 5 |
| 18A | 36. D.O.J. agency | 3 |
| 19A | 39. Fuel-efficient Toyota | 5 |
| 20A | 40. Main ideas | 5 |
| 21A | 41. Athletic skill mastered by 116-Across | 7 |
| 22A | 44. W-9 fig. | 3 |
| 23A | 45. Banned substance, in sports lingo | 3 |
| 24A | 46. Diego Rivera project | 5 |
| 25A | 48. Apt name for a lawyer | 3 |
| 26A | 49. Laughed loudly | 6 |
| 27A | 52. N.C.A.A. hoops powerhouse | 3 |
| 28A | 53. Like the Statue of Liberty at night | 5 |
| 29A | 55. Beatle who sang "Yellow Submarine" | 5 |
| 30A | 57. Sailor's septet | 4 |
| 31A | 60. Go-getter's opposite | 8 |
| 32A | 62. Through | 3 |
| 33A | 63. "Drat!," in Dortmund | 3 |
| 34A | 65. "The Situation Room" airer | 3 |
| 35A | 66. Chirruping bird | 7 |
| 36A | 67. Pat down | 5 |
| 37A | 69. City sobriquet that might describe the target for 116-Across, as depicted in this puzzle | 11 |
| 38A | 71. Stuff in a puff | 3 |
| 39A | 72. She-ep? | 3 |
| 40A | 73. Home to the Burj Khalifa, in brief | 3 |
| 41A | 74. Appointments that may lead to better contacts | 8 |
| 42A | 76. Dampens | 4 |
| 43A | 78. "Whoa, ___!" | 5 |
| 44A | 80. Bel ___ cheese | 5 |
| 45A | 81. Instinctive | 3 |
| 46A | 82. Religious dissent | 6 |
| 47A | 84. $5 bill, slangily | 3 |
| 48A | 85. Actress Spacek | 5 |
| 49A | 87. Negative logic gate in electrical engineering | 3 |
| 50A | 88. Cartesian conclusion | 3 |
| 51A | 91. Composer of an overture dedicated to 116-Across | 7 |
| 52A | 93. Gets lost | 5 |
| 53A | 96. Came to a conclusion | 5 |
| 54A | 98. "Doctor ___" | 3 |
| 55A | 99. Start of an encrypted URL | 5 |
| 56A | 103. Streaker in the night sky ... or a punny description of 116-Across | 12 |
| 57A | 106. Acid | 3 |
| 58A | 108. Unprocessed, as data | 3 |
| 59A | 109. Inspiration for many seasonal festivals | 7 |
| 60A | 110. Oscar-winning 2019 film directed by Bong Joon Ho | 8 |
| 61A | 113. Smoke, perhaps | 4 |
| 62A | 114. What may begin at the end | 9 |
| 63A | 116. Legendary figure who's the subject of this puzzle | 11 |
| 64A | 118. Orchard selection | 4 |
| 65A | 119. Lot calculation | 4 |
| 66A | 120. "All's well with me" | 4 |
| 67A | 121. Human | 6 |
| 68A | 122. Masthead figs. | 3 |
| 69A | 123. Timid | 4 |
| 70A | 124. Quibbles | 4 |
| 71A | 125. Ruses | 5 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Sacsayhuamán fortress builders"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a ruler of the incas (or a member of his family)
- Similar words include: Incan, Inca, Inka
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "6. Literary forerunner of Captain Hook"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that according to the old testament he was a pagan king of israel and husband of jezebel (9th century bc)
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHAB
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3A: "10. Many an Alpha Beta in "Revenge of the Nerds""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a person trained to compete in sports
- Similar words include: jockstrap, supporter, athlete
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JOCK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4A: "14. Help-wanted letters"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an internationally recognized distress signal in radio code
- Similar words include: soh, sol, so
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5A: "17. Fermented vegan protein"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEMPEH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "19. Wrestler/actor John"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CENA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "20. Coin with 12 stars around the border"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the basic monetary unit of most members of the european union (introduced in 1999); in 2002 twelve european nations (germany, france, belgium, luxembourg, the netherlands, italy, spain, portugal, ireland, greece, austria, finland) adopted the euro as their basic unit of money and abandoned their traditional currencies
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EURO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8A: "21. Align"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that make synchronous and adjust in time or manner
- Similar words include: synchronize, synchronise
- Opposite of: desynchronize, desynchronise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SYNC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "22. Home of the legendary folk hero at 116-Across"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a landlocked federal republic in central europe
- Similar words include: Svizzera, Swiss Confederation, Schweiz
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWITZERLAND
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "24. One involved with checks and balances"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an officer charged with receiving and disbursing funds
- Similar words include: financial officer
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TREASURER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "26. Without"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "27. Green spaces"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock
- Similar words include: browse, grazing land, range
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTURES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "29. Hero of Arabian tales"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALIBABA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "30. In the past"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that gone by; or in the past
- Similar words include: agone
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "31. ___ Mahal"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAJ
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "32. Expertise demonstrated by 116-Across in a fabled feat of precision"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that skill in shooting
- Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARKSMANSHIP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17A: "34. Home Run ___ (annual M.L.B. event)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a felt hat that is round and hard with a narrow brim
- Similar words include: plug hat, bowler hat, bowler
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DERBY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18A: "36. D.O.J. agency"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the law enforcement and tax collection agency of the treasury department that enforces federal laws concerning alcohol and tobacco products and firearms and explosives and arson
- Similar words include: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATF
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "39. Fuel-efficient Toyota"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRIUS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "40. Main ideas"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
- Similar words include: heart, meat, sum
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GISTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "41. Athletic skill mastered by 116-Across"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the sport of shooting arrows with a bow
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCHERY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "44. W-9 fig."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SSN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "45. Banned substance, in sports lingo"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "46. Diego Rivera project"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a painting that is applied to a wall surface
- Similar words include: wall painting
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MURAL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "48. Apt name for a lawyer"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that french writer whose novels described the sordid side of city life (1804-1857)
- Similar words include: action, Eugene Sue, process
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "49. Laughed loudly"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
- Similar words include: howl, yawl, bellow
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROARED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "52. N.C.A.A. hoops powerhouse"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "53. Like the Statue of Liberty at night"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UPLIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "55. Beatle who sang "Yellow Submarine""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that rock star and drummer for the beatles (born in 1940)
- Similar words include: Richard Starkey, Starkey, Ringo Starr
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STARR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "57. Sailor's septet"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
- Similar words include: sea, ocean
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "60. Go-getter's opposite"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who fails to meet a financial obligation
- Similar words include: defaulter
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEADBEAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32A: "62. Through"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "63. "Drat!," in Dortmund"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34A: "65. "The Situation Room" airer"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CNN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35A: "66. Chirruping bird"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
- Similar words include: Prunella modularis, dunnock, hedge sparrow
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPARROW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
36A: "67. Pat down"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the act of searching someone for concealed weapons or illegal drugs
- Similar words include: rollick, run around, frisking
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRISK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
37A: "69. City sobriquet that might describe the target for 116-Across, as depicted in this puzzle"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THEBIGAPPLE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
38A: "71. Stuff in a puff"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
- Similar words include: send, air travel, melody
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
39A: "72. She-ep?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a member of a people living in southern benin and togo and southeastern ghana
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EWE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
40A: "73. Home to the Burj Khalifa, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UAE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
41A: "74. Appointments that may lead to better contacts"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYEEXAMS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
42A: "76. Dampens"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that wetness caused by water
- Similar words include: moisture, wet
- Opposite of: dry
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WETS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
43A: "78. "Whoa, ___!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NELLY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
44A: "80. Bel ___ cheese"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAESE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
45A: "81. Instinctive"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus
- Similar words include: intestine, bowel, catgut
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GUT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
46A: "82. Religious dissent"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
- Similar words include: heterodoxy, unorthodoxy
- Opposite of: orthodoxy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HERESY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
47A: "84. $5 bill, slangily"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
48A: "85. Actress Spacek"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive
- Similar words include: sissyish, cissy, emasculate
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SISSY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
49A: "87. Negative logic gate in electrical engineering"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
50A: "88. Cartesian conclusion"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IAM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
51A: "91. Composer of an overture dedicated to 116-Across"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that italian composer remembered for his operas (1792-1868)
- Similar words include: Giloacchino Antonio Rossini
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSSINI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
52A: "93. Gets lost"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that singing jazz; the singer substitutes nonsense syllables for the words of the song and tries to sound like a musical instrument
- Similar words include: scat, bunk, scarper
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCATS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
53A: "96. Came to a conclusion"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
- Similar words include: terminate, over, terminated
- Opposite of: begin
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENDED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
54A: "98. "Doctor ___""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a united nations agency to coordinate international health activities and to help governments improve health services
- Similar words include: World Health Organization
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WHO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
55A: "99. Start of an encrypted URL"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a protocol (utilizing tcp) to transfer hypertext requests and information between servers and browsers
- Similar words include: HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HTTPS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
56A: "103. Streaker in the night sky ... or a punny description of 116-Across"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOOTINGSTAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
57A: "106. Acid"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid
- Similar words include: lysergic acid diethylamide
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LSD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
58A: "108. Unprocessed, as data"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that informal terms for nakedness
- Similar words include: in the raw, bleak, crude
- Opposite of: cooked
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
59A: "109. Inspiration for many seasonal festivals"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the yield from plants in a single growing season
- Similar words include: harvest time, harvesting, crop
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARVEST
Remember this word for future puzzles!
60A: "110. Oscar-winning 2019 film directed by Bong Joon Ho"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host
- Similar words include: sponge, leech, sponger
- Opposite of: host
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARASITE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
61A: "113. Smoke, perhaps"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain
- Similar words include: heal, curative, therapeutic
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CURE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
62A: "114. What may begin at the end"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that life after death
- Similar words include: hereafter
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFTERLIFE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
63A: "116. Legendary figure who's the subject of this puzzle"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WILLIAMTELL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
64A: "118. Orchard selection"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
- Similar words include: Pyrus communis, pear tree
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
65A: "119. Lot calculation"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
- Similar words include: country, expanse, orbit
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
66A: "120. "All's well with me""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMOK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
67A: "121. Human"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a human being
- Similar words include: somebody, person, deadly
- Opposite of: immortal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORTAL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
68A: "122. Masthead figs."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a rapid automatic system to detect plastic explosives in passengers' luggage using x-ray technology and computers; designed for use in airports
- Similar words include: male erecticle dysfunction, ED, explosive detection system
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
69A: "123. Timid"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
- Similar words include: spiritless, mild, modest
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEEK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
70A: "124. Quibbles"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a luminance unit equal to 1 candle per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source
- Similar words include: nit
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NITS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
71A: "125. Ruses"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker
- Similar words include: ploy, stratagem, gambit
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLOYS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. "What a bummer" | 6 |
| 2D | 2. À la Enya | 6 |
| 3D | 3. Key with three flats | 6 |
| 4D | 4. Studios and penthouses: Abbr. | 4 |
| 5D | 5. "___ me!" | 3 |
| 6D | 6. Knee parts, for short | 4 |
| 7D | 7. Part of a track meet | 4 |
| 8D | 8. Per ___ (accounting term) | 5 |
| 9D | 9. Undeserved condemnation | 6 |
| 10D | 10. Watercraft that leave "rooster tails" in their wakes | 7 |
| 11D | 11. "___ home and native land!" | 3 |
| 12D | 12. Absolutely whomps, in sports lingo | 6 |
| 13D | 13. "Bear" that's not a bear | 5 |
| 14D | 14. Some red wines | 6 |
| 15D | 15. Smallest quantity of digital data | 6 |
| 16D | 16. Abandons, as a project | 6 |
| 17D | 18. Purifying filter acronym | 4 |
| 18D | 21. Eases | 8 |
| 19D | 23. Jasmine's tiger companion in "Aladdin" | 5 |
| 20D | 25. Big name in sewing machines | 6 |
| 21D | 28. Messes up | 4 |
| 22D | 31. TV host Banks | 4 |
| 23D | 33. Longtime jazz bandleader with an Egyptian-inspired name | 5 |
| 24D | 35. Where Cary Grant orders a Gibson in a classic scene from "North by Northwest" | 6 |
| 25D | 37. Magnetic unit named for an inventor | 5 |
| 26D | 38. Productive ... or a punny description of the feat performed by 116-Across? | 8 |
| 27D | 42. Many a liquor license applicant | 9 |
| 28D | 43. As of now | 3 |
| 29D | 45. Board game with ancient origins | 9 |
| 30D | 46. Gooey chocolate dessert | 6 |
| 31D | 47. Discover | 7 |
| 32D | 50. Holds forth | 6 |
| 33D | 51. Tenth, in Latin | 7 |
| 34D | 54. Small flycatchers named for their call, not their size | 6 |
| 35D | 55. Bro kin | 3 |
| 36D | 56. What 116-Across did before and after this puzzle's feat? | 8 |
| 37D | 58. Dread-full? | 6 |
| 38D | 59. Popular beverage brand | 7 |
| 39D | 61. Dr. ___ | 3 |
| 40D | 62. Compete | 3 |
| 41D | 64. Bad spelling? | 3 |
| 42D | 66. Lead-in to bones or bucks | 3 |
| 43D | 68. Sunbeam | 3 |
| 44D | 70. Abandons a project, slangily | 6 |
| 45D | 75. "Oy!" | 5 |
| 46D | 77. Forwarded | 8 |
| 47D | 79. Full of tall tales | 5 |
| 48D | 80. It's better than a bogey | 3 |
| 49D | 83. Team lineup | 6 |
| 50D | 86. Like most modern TV broadcasts | 4 |
| 51D | 89. "Money-back guarantee" and "Limited-time offer" | 7 |
| 52D | 90. Self-referential | 4 |
| 53D | 92. Conductor Georg | 5 |
| 54D | 93. Snaky double curve | 6 |
| 55D | 94. Really irritated | 6 |
| 56D | 95. Main lines | 6 |
| 57D | 96. Full | 6 |
| 58D | 97. Australian city named for a scientist | 6 |
| 59D | 100. Closely following | 6 |
| 60D | 101. Gambler's combo bet | 6 |
| 61D | 102. Waves sought by surfers | 6 |
| 62D | 104. Five Pillars religion | 5 |
| 63D | 105. "Spider-Man" director Sam | 5 |
| 64D | 107. Stitcher's line | 4 |
| 65D | 111. Tee time or airtime, e.g. | 4 |
| 66D | 112. Sorts | 4 |
| 67D | 113. Corner key | 4 |
| 68D | 115. Toll | 3 |
| 69D | 117. Bucket list item? | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. "What a bummer""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITSSAD
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2D: "2. À la Enya"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEWAGE
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3D: "3. Key with three flats"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CMINOR
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4D: "4. Studios and penthouses: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APTS
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5D: "5. "___ me!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEZ
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6D: "6. Knee parts, for short"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACLS
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7D: "7. Part of a track meet"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
- Similar words include: oestrus, heating, rut
- Opposite of: coldness, cool
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEAT
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8D: "8. Per ___ (accounting term)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (latin) year
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANNUM
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9D: "9. Undeserved condemnation"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BADRAP
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10D: "10. Watercraft that leave "rooster tails" in their wakes"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JETSKIS
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11D: "11. "___ home and native land!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUR
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12D: "12. Absolutely whomps, in sports lingo"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the best people or things in a group
- Similar words include: clobber, drub, lick
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CREAMS
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13D: "13. "Bear" that's not a bear"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that sluggish tailless australian arboreal marsupial with grey furry ears and coat; feeds on eucalyptus leaves and bark
- Similar words include: kangaroo bear, koala bear, native bear
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KOALA
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14D: "14. Some red wines"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SYRAHS
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15D: "15. Smallest quantity of digital data"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONEBIT
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16D: "16. Abandons, as a project"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
- Similar words include: fighting, combat, altercate
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCRAPS
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17D: "18. Purifying filter acronym"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEPA
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18D: "21. Eases"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that wear off or die down
- Similar words include: subside, lessen, sink
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUBSIDES
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19D: "23. Jasmine's tiger companion in "Aladdin""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a prince or king in india
- Similar words include: raja
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAJAH
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20D: "25. Big name in sewing machines"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a person who sings
- Similar words include: Isaac Merrit Singer, Isaac M. Singer, vocalizer
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINGER
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21D: "28. Messes up"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that to make a mistake or be incorrect
- Similar words include: mistake, stray, err
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERRS
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22D: "31. TV host Banks"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TYRA
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23D: "33. Longtime jazz bandleader with an Egyptian-inspired name"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUNRA
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24D: "35. Where Cary Grant orders a Gibson in a classic scene from "North by Northwest""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BARCAR
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25D: "37. Magnetic unit named for an inventor"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a unit of magnetic flux density equal to one weber per square meter
- Similar words include: Nikola Tesla
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TESLA
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26D: "38. Productive ... or a punny description of the feat performed by 116-Across?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that productive or conducive to producing in abundance
- Opposite of: unfruitful
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRUITFUL
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27D: "42. Many a liquor license applicant"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLUBOWNER
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28D: "43. As of now"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that up to the present time
- Similar words include: notwithstanding, even so, nonetheless
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YET
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29D: "45. Board game with ancient origins"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a modern board game based on pachisi
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARCHEESI
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30D: "46. Gooey chocolate dessert"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MUDPIE
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31D: "47. Discover"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that bring to light
- Similar words include: excavate
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNEARTH
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32D: "50. Holds forth"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that talk pompously
- Similar words include: orate
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORATES
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33D: "51. Tenth, in Latin"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DECIMUS
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34D: "54. Small flycatchers named for their call, not their size"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that small olive-colored woodland flycatchers of eastern north america
- Similar words include: pewit, wood pewee, peewit
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEWEES
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35D: "55. Bro kin"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a female person who has the same parents as another person
- Similar words include: International System, SI, sister
- Opposite of: brother
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIS
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36D: "56. What 116-Across did before and after this puzzle's feat?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAKEABOW
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37D: "58. Dread-full?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANGSTY
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38D: "59. Popular beverage brand"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNAPPLE
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39D: "61. Dr. ___"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRE
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40D: "62. Compete"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
- Similar words include: contend, compete
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIE
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41D: "64. Bad spelling?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an evil spell
- Similar words include: enchant, glamour, curse
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEX
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42D: "66. Lead-in to bones or bucks"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
- Similar words include: get wind, view, fancy
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAW
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43D: "68. Sunbeam"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a column of light (as from a beacon)
- Similar words include: beam of light, shaft, irradiate
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAY
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44D: "70. Abandons a project, slangily"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAGSIT
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45D: "75. "Oy!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEESH
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46D: "77. Forwarded"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENTOVER
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47D: "79. Full of tall tales"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
- Similar words include: fabrication, lie, lie down
- Opposite of: arise, stand
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LYING
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48D: "80. It's better than a bogey"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (golf) the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course
- Similar words include: equivalence, equality, equation
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAR
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49D: "83. Team lineup"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a list of names
- Similar words include: roll
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSTER
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50D: "86. Like most modern TV broadcasts"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INHD
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51D: "89. "Money-back guarantee" and "Limited-time offer""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADSPEAK
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52D: "90. Self-referential"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: META
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53D: "92. Conductor Georg"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOLTI
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54D: "93. Snaky double curve"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SSHAPE
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55D: "94. Really irritated"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
- Similar words include: annoy, galled, get at
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAFED
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56D: "95. Main lines"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the large trunk artery that carries blood from the left ventricle of the heart to branch arteries
- Similar words include: aorta
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AORTAS
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57D: "96. Full"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that uncastrated adult male horse
- Similar words include: total, full, intact
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENTIRE
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58D: "97. Australian city named for a scientist"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that english natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
- Similar words include: Charles Robert Darwin, Charles Darwin
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DARWIN
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59D: "100. Closely following"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRUETO
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60D: "101. Gambler's combo bet"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a series of wagers in which the winnings from one wager are used as a stake for the subsequent wagers
- Similar words include: double up
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARLAY
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61D: "102. Waves sought by surfers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
- Similar words include: dude, fop, crestless wave
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWELLS
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62D: "104. Five Pillars religion"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the civilization of muslims collectively which is governed by the muslim religion
- Similar words include: Muhammadanism, Muslimism, Mohammedanism
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISLAM
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63D: "105. "Spider-Man" director Sam"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAIMI
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64D: "107. Stitcher's line"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
- Similar words include: wrinkle, furrow, crinkle
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAM
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65D: "111. Tee time or airtime, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a position in a grammatical linguistic construction in which a variety of alternative units are interchangeable
- Similar words include: expansion slot, time slot, one-armed bandit
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOT
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66D: "112. Sorts"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a kind of person
- Similar words include: ilk, like
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ILKS
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67D: "113. Corner key"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CTRL
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68D: "115. Toll"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
- Similar words include: tip, bung
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEE
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69D: "117. Bucket list item?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors
- Similar words include: swob, pout, mop up
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOP
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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
71 Across Clues
69 Down Clues
140 Total Clues
More NYT Crossword Help
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