NYT Down Clues Answers January 02, 2026 - All 35 Vertical Solutions & Expert Hints
Quick Summary: Today's NYT Crossword has 35 Down clues. We have all the vertical answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!
Related Puzzles: January 19 2021 NYT Clues Solutions | October 31 2020 NYT Clues Solutions | July 11 2019 NYT Clues Solutions |
About Today's Down Clues
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | January 02, 2026 |
| Day of Week | Friday |
| Total Down Clues | 35 clues |
| Direction | Vertical (Top to Bottom) |
| Difficulty | Medium |
All Down Clues - Complete List
Here are all 35 Down clues for today's puzzle. These go vertically from top to bottom.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 1. President who wrote "Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it" |
| 2 Down | 2. Default outcomes, perhaps |
| 3 Down | 3. Kind of sequence that that proceeds 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ... |
| 4 Down | 4. Duration |
| 5 Down | 5. Modern security threat |
| 6 Down | 6. Org. with the Rule of Law Initiative |
| 7 Down | 7. Cylindrical oven |
| 8 Down | 8. Extremely well-liked? |
| 9 Down | 9. Personal opinion? |
| 10 Down | 10. Hooting and hollering |
| 11 Down | 11. Part of an underground network |
| 12 Down | 12. Pithy put-downs |
| 13 Down | 14. Main ingredient in an aviation cocktail |
| 14 Down | 15. "I like the sound of that!" |
| 15 Down | 20. "So adorable!" |
| 16 Down | 24. Prepare to ship, say |
| 17 Down | 26. Delivery means to a gas station |
| 18 Down | 27. Count in the Blues Hall of Fame |
| 19 Down | 28. On the ___ (frequently, informally) |
| 20 Down | 29. Bird whose eggs are sometimes a canvas for Aboriginal art |
| 21 Down | 30. Capotes are flapped at them |
| 22 Down | 31. "Let's go, sleepyhead!" |
| 23 Down | 32. Booking, for short |
| 24 Down | 33. Server's obstacle |
| 25 Down | 38. "Word on the street is ..." |
| 26 Down | 41. ___ Brown, author of "The Da Vinci Code" |
| 27 Down | 42. Night of lawlessness in a long-running horror franchise, with "the" |
| 28 Down | 43. Try-hard |
| 29 Down | 45. Kind of acid |
| 30 Down | 46. Stem component |
| 31 Down | 47. Capitulate |
| 32 Down | 48. Lender's security |
| 33 Down | 49. Table outside |
| 34 Down | 50. Big purveyor of health supplements |
| 35 Down | 52. Gender-neutral term in a family |
Detailed Hints and Answers for All Down Clues
Need help? Here are comprehensive hints and answers for each Down clue. Also check these helpful guides:
- October 31 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
- December 21 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
- January 19 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
- February 10 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
Complete Down Solutions:
1 Down: "1. President who wrote "Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A___S
- Similar words: Robert Adam, Samuel Adams
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 1
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ADAMS
2 Down: "2. Default outcomes, perhaps"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: R___S
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 2
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
REPOS
3 Down: "3. Kind of sequence that that proceeds 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ..."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 9 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'F' and ends with 'I'
- Word pattern: F_______I
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 3
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
FIBONACCI
4 Down: "4. Duration"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'W' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: W___E
- Similar words: patch, piece
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 4
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
WHILE
5 Down: "5. Modern security threat"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'H' and ends with 'K'
- Word pattern: H__K
- Similar words: plug, chop
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: one who works hard at boring tasks
- This is Down clue number 5
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
HACK
6 Down: "6. Org. with the Rule of Law Initiative"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'A'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 6
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ABA
7 Down: "7. Cylindrical oven"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: T_____R
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a clay oven used in northern India and Pakistan
- This is Down clue number 7
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TANDOOR
8 Down: "8. Extremely well-liked?"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 14 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'I' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: I____________S
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 8
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
INTERNETFAMOUS
9 Down: "9. Personal opinion?"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 10 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'M'
- Word pattern: S________M
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 9
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SELFESTEEM
10 Down: "10. Hooting and hollering"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: A___R
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 10
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AROAR
11 Down: "11. Part of an underground network"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: R__T
- Similar words: rootage, settle down
- Opposite of: descendant
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 11
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ROOT
12 Down: "12. Pithy put-downs"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: T__S
- Similar words: tsk, tut-tut
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: utter `tsk
- This is Down clue number 12
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TSKS
13 Down: "14. Main ingredient in an aviation cocktail"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'N'
- Similar words: noose, snare
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: strong liquor flavored with juniper berries
- This is Down clue number 13
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
GIN
14 Down: "15. "I like the sound of that!""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 14 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'G'
- Word pattern: N____________G
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 14
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
NOWWERETALKING
15 Down: "20. "So adorable!""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'W'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 15
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AWW
16 Down: "24. Prepare to ship, say"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'P'
- Word pattern: B___P
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 16
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BOXUP
17 Down: "26. Delivery means to a gas station"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 10 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'F' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: F________R
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 17
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
FUELTANKER
18 Down: "27. Count in the Blues Hall of Fame"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: B___E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 18
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BASIE
19 Down: "28. On the ___ (frequently, informally)"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'G'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 19
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
REG
20 Down: "29. Bird whose eggs are sometimes a canvas for Aboriginal art"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'U'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 20
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
EMU
21 Down: "30. Capotes are flapped at them"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: T___S
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 21
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TOROS
22 Down: "31. "Let's go, sleepyhead!""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 9 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'U' and ends with 'M'
- Word pattern: U_______M
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 22
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
UPANDATEM
23 Down: "32. Booking, for short"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'S'
- Similar words: ray, rhenium
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 23
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
RES
24 Down: "33. Server's obstacle"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'T'
- Similar words: sack up, profits
- Opposite of: gross
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 24
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
NET
25 Down: "38. "Word on the street is ...""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: T_____Y
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 25
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
THEYSAY
26 Down: "41. ___ Brown, author of "The Da Vinci Code""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'D' and ends with 'N'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 26
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
DAN
27 Down: "42. Night of lawlessness in a long-running horror franchise, with "the""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: P___E
- Similar words: be sick, cast
- Opposite of: rehabilitate
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 27
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
PURGE
28 Down: "43. Try-hard"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: P___R
- Similar words: poseur, stumper
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a person who habitually pretends to be something he is not
- This is Down clue number 28
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
POSER
29 Down: "45. Kind of acid"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: A___O
- Similar words: amino group, aminic
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: the radical -NH2
- This is Down clue number 29
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AMINO
30 Down: "46. Stem component"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'X' and ends with 'M'
- Word pattern: X___M
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 30
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
XYLEM
31 Down: "47. Capitulate"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: C__E
- Similar words: spelunk, undermine
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 31
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CAVE
32 Down: "48. Lender's security"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'N'
- Word pattern: L__N
- Similar words: spleen
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 32
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
LIEN
33 Down: "49. Table outside"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: M__A
- Similar words: table
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: flat tableland with steep edges
- This is Down clue number 33
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
MESA
34 Down: "50. Big purveyor of health supplements"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'C'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 34
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
GNC
35 Down: "52. Gender-neutral term in a family"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'B'
- Similar words: blood relation, sibling
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a person's brother or sister
- This is Down clue number 35
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SIB
Expert Strategies for Solving Down Clues
Master the vertical clues with these professional tips:
Why Start with Down Clues?
- Down clues often reveal key letters for intersecting words
- Vertical patterns can unlock difficult sections
- Many prefixes and suffixes run vertically
- Down answers often help solve Across clues
Down Clue Patterns to Recognize
- Fill-in-the-blank clues: These are usually the easiest Down entries
- Prefixes and suffixes: Common word parts often run vertically
- Abbreviations: Look for clues with "Abbr." or shortened forms
- Plural indicators: Words ending in 'S' are common in Down
- Pop culture references: Names and titles often appear vertically
Time-Saving Down Techniques
| Technique | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Scan all Down first | Get a mental map of the vertical flow |
| Fill short Down words | 3-4 letter words are often prefixes or connectors |
| Use crossing letters | Across letters help confirm Down answers |
| Look for themes | Related Down answers often share a theme |
Frequently Asked Questions About Down Clues
What are Down clues in crossword puzzles?
Down clues are the vertical entries in a crossword puzzle that read from top to bottom. They're numbered and correspond to specific columns in the grid.
Should I solve Down or Across clues first?
Many solvers alternate between Down and Across clues to build momentum. Down clues can help unlock difficult sections by providing key intersecting letters. The best approach is to solve the clues you find easiest first, regardless of direction.
How many Down clues are in today's puzzle?
Today's NYT crossword has 35 Down clues.
Are Down clues easier than Across clues?
Neither direction is inherently easier. The difficulty depends on the specific clues and your knowledge. However, Down clues often contain helpful prefixes, suffixes, and word parts that can be easier to guess.
How do Down clues interact with Across clues?
Down and Across clues intersect at various points in the grid. Solving one can provide letters that help solve the other, making the puzzle easier as you progress.
