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Tuesday, June 2, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 02, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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: 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. Capital located on a fjord 4
2A 5. Battling militarily 5
3A 10. State with the highest Mormon population 4
4A 14. Snow clearer 4
5A 15. Selected 5
6A 16. ___ minimum 4
7A 17. "You missed your chance!" 10
8A 19. Silver weapon brandished by one hoping for gold 4
9A 20. Huge 7
10A 21. "It's legit!" 7
11A 23. ___ Rica 5
12A 24. One with special access, in brief 3
13A 25. Gets a pooch to attack 12
14A 33. One who might call you out if you get home late? 3
15A 36. Hindi term meaning "master"... or "mister" 5
16A 37. "My apologies!" 5
17A 38. Part of a house or a mouth 4
18A 40. Obstetrician's specialty 5
19A 42. Part of a shoe or many a bra 4
20A 43. Setting for Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" 5
21A 45. Dance for flexible people 5
22A 47. It might say "Home Sweet Home" 3
23A 48. Picked at one's food, in an avian metaphor 12
24A 51. Baton Rouge sch. 3
25A 52. Wash with a glycol spray, as an airplane wing 5
26A 56. With 63-Across, question hinted at by the beginnings of 17-, 21-, 25- and 48-Across 7
27A 60. Marsupial whose name sometimes omits its first letter 7
28A 62. Tony ___, former Cowboys QB 4
29A 63. See 56-Across 10
30A 65. All over again 4
31A 66. "No bid from me" 5
32A 67. Bad forecast for a parade 4
33A 68. Ivy in Philadelphia, familiarly 4
34A 69. Letter-shaped groove for a fastener 5
35A 70. Barely made, with "out" 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Capital located on a fjord"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of norway; the country's main port; located at the head of a fjord on norway's southern coast
  • Similar words include: Christiania, capital of Norway
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSLO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Battling militarily"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATWAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. State with the highest Mormon population"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in the western united states; settled in 1847 by mormons led by brigham young
  • Similar words include: UT, Beehive State, Mormon State
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Snow clearer"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a farm tool having one or more heavy blades to break the soil and cut a furrow prior to sowing
  • Similar words include: handle, deal, cover
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Selected"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
  • Similar words include: pick out, take, choose
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. ___ minimum"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make public
  • Similar words include: stark, strip, stripped
  • Opposite of: sheathed, covered
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. "You missed your chance!""

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOOLATENOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Silver weapon brandished by one hoping for gold"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fencing sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Huge"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; - w.r.inge
  • Similar words include: Brobdingnagian, vast, huge
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMMENSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. "It's legit!""

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORREAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. ___ Rica"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a riblike part of a plant or animal (such as a middle rib of a leaf or a thickened vein of an insect wing)
  • Similar words include: rib
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COSTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. One with special access, in brief"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an important or influential (and often overbearing) person
  • Similar words include: high muckamuck, dignitary, high-up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Gets a pooch to attack"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SICSTHEDOGON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "33. One who might call you out if you get home late?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an official at a baseball game
  • Similar words include: umpire
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "36. Hindi term meaning "master"... or "mister""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that formerly a term of respect for important white europeans in colonial india; used after the name
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAHIB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "37. "My apologies!""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
  • Similar words include: grim, no-account, disconsolate
  • Opposite of: unregretful
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SORRY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "38. Part of a house or a mouth"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
  • Similar words include: ceiling, cap
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROOF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "40. Obstetrician's specialty"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
  • Similar words include: undertaking, drudge, dig
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LABOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "42. Part of a shoe or many a bra"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment)
  • Similar words include: entwine, enlace, spike
  • Opposite of: untwine
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "43. Setting for Arthur Miller's "The Crucible""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capital of the state of oregon in the northwestern part of the state on the willamette river
  • Similar words include: capital of Oregon
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "45. Dance for flexible people"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of being disregarded or forgotten
  • Similar words include: oblivion
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIMBO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "47. It might say "Home Sweet Home""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
  • Similar words include: matt, lustrelessness, felt up
  • Opposite of: disentangle, unsnarl
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "48. Picked at one's food, in an avian metaphor"

12 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATELIKEABIRD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "51. Baton Rouge sch."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LSU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "52. Wash with a glycol spray, as an airplane wing"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make or become free of frost or ice
  • Similar words include: de-ice, defrost
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEICE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "56. With 63-Across, question hinted at by the beginnings of 17-, 21-, 25- and 48-Across"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WHODOWE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "60. Marsupial whose name sometimes omits its first letter"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small furry australian arboreal marsupials having long usually prehensile tails
  • Similar words include: possum, phalanger
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPOSSUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "62. Tony ___, former Cowboys QB"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "63. See 56-Across"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that recognize with gratitude; be grateful for
  • Similar words include: treasure, take account, prize
  • Opposite of: depreciate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APPRECIATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "65. All over again"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that again but in a new or different way
  • Similar words include: afresh
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "66. "No bid from me""

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IPASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "67. Bad forecast for a parade"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
  • Similar words include: rain down, pelting, rainfall
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "68. Ivy in Philadelphia, familiarly"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that englishman and quaker who founded the colony of pennsylvania (1644-1718)
  • Similar words include: William Penn, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PENN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "69. Letter-shaped groove for a fastener"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSLOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "70. Barely made, with "out""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EKED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Kind of nerve that connects to the eye 5
2D 2. Manner in which sports replays are shown, familiarly 5
3D 3. Hangs (over) 5
4D 4. Babies that are supposed to be up all night? 6
5D 5. Five things in each of Shakespeare's plays 4
6D 6. "My country, 'tis of ___ ..." 4
7D 7. Was victorious 3
8D 8. Since 4
9D 9. Fixed, as a tapestry or a tatami 6
10D 10. Original name of a popular shared-ride service 8
11D 11. Word after video or Scotch 4
12D 12. About 8,100 square feet, for a baseball infield 4
13D 13. What helps you get a leg up? 4
14D 18. Eroticist Nin 5
15D 22. Purges, with "of" 4
16D 26. Baseball Hall-of-Famer ___ Ripken 3
17D 27. Rock that's fracked to release oil 5
18D 28. Bone in the lower leg 5
19D 29. Fusion weapon, familiarly 5
20D 30. Weight unit at British markets 4
21D 31. Sea sight in black and white 4
22D 32. The decline of Russia? 4
23D 33. Lead-in to Major or Minor in the night sky 4
24D 34. What a drawbridge might cross 4
25D 35. Word with vault or position 4
26D 39. Collapsed 8
27D 41. One of four generated by a grand slam, for short 3
28D 44. Kind of soup often served with sushi 4
29D 46. Surgeon, informally 5
30D 49. Emirate that was the site of Operation Desert Storm 6
31D 50. Longing 6
32D 53. Chris with the 1991 hit "Wicked Game" 5
33D 54. One who's "adorbs" 5
34D 55. Revise, as text 5
35D 56. Prepare for gifting 4
36D 57. Sharpen 4
37D 58. Finding a penny with the tails side up is said to be a bad one 4
38D 59. Actor/rapper Omar 4
39D 60. "In that neighborhood" 4
40D 61. Gnat or nit 4
41D 64. Bud 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Kind of nerve that connects to the eye"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the organ of sight
  • Similar words include: visual, opthalmic, optical
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPTIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Manner in which sports replays are shown, familiarly"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Hangs (over)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile
  • Similar words include: loom, brood, hover
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Babies that are supposed to be up all night?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: owlet
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OWLETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Five things in each of Shakespeare's plays"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a new testament book describing the development of the early church from christ's ascension to paul's sojourn at rome
  • Similar words include: number, routine, represent
  • Opposite of: refrain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. "My country, 'tis of ___ ...""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Was victorious"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic unit of money in south korea
  • Similar words include: come through, North Korean won, gain ground
  • Opposite of: lose, fall back
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Since"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASOF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Fixed, as a tapestry or a tatami"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REWOVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Original name of a popular shared-ride service"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UBERPOOL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Word after video or Scotch"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening
  • Similar words include: tape recording, magnetic tape, tapeline
  • Opposite of: erase
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. About 8,100 square feet, for a baseball infield"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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: orbit, country, region
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. What helps you get a leg up?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
  • Similar words include: list, cad, dog
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Eroticist Nin"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANAIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Purges, with "of""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that relieve from
  • Similar words include: rid, disembarrass, free
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Baseball Hall-of-Famer ___ Ripken"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Rock that's fracked to release oil"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sedimentary rock formed by the deposition of successive layers of clay
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Bone in the lower leg"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the inner and thicker of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle
  • Similar words include: shin, shinbone, shin bone
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIBIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Fusion weapon, familiarly"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HBOMB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Weight unit at British markets"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram
  • Similar words include: g, gm, Hans C. J. Gram
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Sea sight in black and white"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas
  • Similar words include: killer whale, killer, Orcinus orca
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORCA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. The decline of Russia?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NYET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Lead-in to Major or Minor in the night sky"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: URSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. What a drawbridge might cross"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ditch dug as a fortification and usually filled with water
  • Similar words include: fosse
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Word with vault or position"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
  • Similar words include: perch, magnetic pole, terminal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Collapsed"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FELLDOWN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. One of four generated by a grand slam, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a run that is the result of the batter's performance
  • Similar words include: run batted in
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RBI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Kind of soup often served with sushi"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thick paste made from fermented soybeans and barley or rice malt; used in japanese cooking to make soups or sauces
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "46. Surgeon, informally"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORDOC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. Emirate that was the site of Operation Desert Storm"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a seaport on the persian gulf and capital of kuwait
  • Similar words include: Koweit, Kuwait City, State of Kuwait
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KUWAIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Longing"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
  • Similar words include: trust, want, hope
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DESIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "53. Chris with the 1991 hit "Wicked Game""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISAAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "54. One who's "adorbs""

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUTIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "55. Revise, as text"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make improvements or corrections to
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "56. Prepare for gifting"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
  • Similar words include: enwrap, enfold, wrapping
  • Opposite of: unwrap, unwind
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WRAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Sharpen"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a whetstone made of fine gritstone; used for sharpening razors
  • Similar words include: perfect
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "58. Finding a penny with the tails side up is said to be a bad one"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sign of something about to happen
  • Similar words include: presage, Muscat and Oman, foretell
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "59. Actor/rapper Omar"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "60. "In that neighborhood""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORSO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "61. Gnat or nit"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal
  • Similar words include: cuss, blighter, pesterer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "64. Bud"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
  • Similar words include: chum, brother, sidekick
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAL

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

35 Across Clues
41 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: June 02, 2026 at 08:12 AM

Thursday, May 21, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 21, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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: Medium

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. Gossiped-about duo 4
2A 5. River whose southernmost source is found in Burundi 4
3A 9. Animal that expresses anger by spitting 5
4A 14. Curbside call 4
5A 15. Egg's outline 4
6A 16. Traditional Vietnamese garment whose name means "long shirt" 5
7A 17. 2000 Eminem single with lines from his "biggest fan" 4
8A 18. St. Benedict, for one 4
9A 19. Central meeting points 5
10A 20. timiL 12
11A 23. 50¢ or $1: Abbr. 3
12A 24. Fish more formally known as a batomorph 3
13A 25. Capital of Portugal, to natives 6
14A 29. Crown of jewels 6
15A 31. Penultimate Greek letter 3
16A 33. One of four seen on Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" 3
17A 34. Goat's cry 3
18A 35. Golfer's suppor- 9
19A 38. Move like a fox 5
20A 40. Get a lode of this! 3
21A 41. John from Britain 5
22A 42. Evade 9
23A 44. "Bad" beginning 3
24A 45. Like news that everyone already knows 3
25A 46. Legal boundaries? 3
26A 47. Kind of cat with a black-and-white coat 6
27A 50. More melted, as a marshmallow 6
28A 53. Tree alongside a ski run 3
29A 54. Bro, e.g. 3
30A 55. P | u | n | c | h | e | s 12
31A 59. Sound of a perfect basketball shot 5
32A 62. "Beware the ___ of a patient man": John Dryden 4
33A 63. Ordered 4
34A 64. Increase, as interest 5
35A 65. German Ms. 4
36A 66. Pupil's surroundings 4
37A 67. Environmentalist Adams 5
38A 68. Site for many stars? 4
39A 69. Sounds of disapproval 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Gossiped-about duo"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

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: point, particular, detail
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. River whose southernmost source is found in Burundi"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the world's longest river (4150 miles); flows northward through eastern africa into the mediterranean; the nile river valley in egypt was the site of the world's first great civilization
  • Similar words include: Nile River
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NILE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Animal that expresses anger by spitting"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wild or domesticated south american cud-chewing animal related to camels but smaller and lacking a hump
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LLAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Curbside call"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money
  • Similar words include: cab, hack, taxicab
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAXI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Egg's outline"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it
  • Similar words include: ovoid, elliptical, ovate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Traditional Vietnamese garment whose name means "long shirt""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AODAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. 2000 Eminem single with lines from his "biggest fan""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. St. Benedict, for one"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
  • Similar words include: Thelonious Sphere Monk, Thelonious Monk, monastic
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MONK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Central meeting points"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a connecting point at which several lines come together
  • Similar words include: client, node, knob
  • Opposite of: antinode
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NODES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. timiL"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BACKWARDSCAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. 50¢ or $1: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Fish more formally known as a batomorph"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a column of light (as from a beacon)
  • Similar words include: shaft of light, irradiation, light beam
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Capital of Portugal, to natives"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capital and largest city and economic and cultural center of portugal; a major port in western portugal on tagus river where it broadens and empties into the atlantic
  • Similar words include: Lisbon, capital of Portugal
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LISBOA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Crown of jewels"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty
  • Similar words include: crown
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIADEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Penultimate Greek letter"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of pressure
  • Similar words include: pounds per square inch
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PSI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. One of four seen on Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
  • Similar words include: build up, sleeve, gird
  • Opposite of: disarm
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Goat's cry"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. Golfer's suppor-"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUTOFFTEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Move like a fox"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
  • Similar words include: malinger, lurk
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKULK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Get a lode of this!"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. John from Britain"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELTON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. Evade"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very short skirt
  • Similar words include: mini
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINISKIRT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. "Bad" beginning"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Like news that everyone already knows"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
  • Similar words include: sometime, former, one-time
  • Opposite of: young, new
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Legal boundaries?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
  • Similar words include: EL, elevated railway, elevated
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "47. Kind of cat with a black-and-white coat"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that semiformal evening dress for men
  • Similar words include: dinner jacket, black tie, tux
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUXEDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. More melted, as a marshmallow"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that soft and sticky
  • Similar words include: icky, gooey
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOOIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. Tree alongside a ski run"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nonresinous wood of a fir tree
  • Similar words include: fir tree, true fir
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "54. Bro, e.g."

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person's brother or sister
  • Similar words include: blood relation, blood relative, cognate
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. P | u | n | c | h | e | s"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STRIPEDSOCKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "59. Sound of a perfect basketball shot"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a brushing or rustling sound
  • Similar words include: lap, swoosh, posh
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWISH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. "Beware the ___ of a patient man": John Dryden"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a feeling of intense anger
  • Similar words include: fierceness, madness, hysteria
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FURY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Ordered"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chadic language spoken in northern nigeria
  • Similar words include: bid, entreat, press
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. Increase, as interest"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tightly woven fabric with raised cords
  • Similar words include: temper, irritation, offend
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIQUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "65. German Ms."

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a german courtesy title or form of address for an adult woman
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRAU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "66. Pupil's surroundings"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
  • Similar words include: fleur-de-lis, sword lily, iris diaphragm
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "67. Environmentalist Adams"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANSEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "68. Site for many stars?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sharp high-pitched cry (especially by a dog)
  • Similar words include: yelping, yap, yip
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YELP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "69. Sounds of disapproval"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that utter `tsk,' `tut,' or `tut-tut,' as in disapproval
  • Similar words include: tut, tut-tut, tsk
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Short negative review 6
2D 2. Floor covering in a Japanese tearoom 6
3D 3. "Bingo!" 11
4D 4. Stole material 4
5D 5. Southern denial 6
6D 6. Something tickled on a piano 5
7D 7. "Buy ___. They're not making it anymore" (old saying) 4
8D 8. Philanthropic group with a clock face in its logo 4
9D 9. The so-called "Pineapple Isle" 5
10D 10. Goes around and around 5
11D 11. Make sense, with "up" 3
12D 12. "Maggie ___," classic folk song covered by the Beatles 3
13D 13. ChatGPT, Claude, etc. 3
14D 21. Inflicts 6
15D 22. Muse of history 4
16D 26. Lasting damage from a tough experience, metaphorically 11
17D 27. Milkshake flavor 4
18D 28. Gospel shout 4
19D 30. "Fountain of Milk Spreading Itself Uselessly on Three Shoes" painter, 1945 4
20D 31. Contented sounds 5
21D 32. "Changed my mind," in editing notation 4
22D 35. Curl 4
23D 36. Hip-knee connectors 6
24D 37. Source of linseed oil 4
25D 38. It's all a haze 4
26D 39. Drug bust unit 4
27D 43. Model Miranda 4
28D 47. Make neat 6
29D 48. Large-eyed African antelope with a duplicative name 6
30D 49. Fixate 6
31D 51. Give out 5
32D 52. Neighbor of Ricky and Lucy, on 1950s TV 5
33D 53. Far from house-trained 5
34D 56. Dodgy 4
35D 57. 100% 4
36D 58. End piece? 4
37D 59. Belinda's business on "The White Lotus" 3
38D 60. Prevail 3
39D 61. Some test figs. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Short negative review"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITSBAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Floor covering in a Japanese tearoom"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TATAMI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. "Bingo!""

11 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXACTAMUNDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Stole material"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the expensive fur of a mink
  • Similar words include: mink coat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Southern denial"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOMAAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Something tickled on a piano"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses
  • Similar words include: pearl, tusk, bone
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IVORY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "Buy ___. They're not making it anymore" (old saying)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the land on which real estate is located
  • Similar words include: realm, down, commonwealth
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Philanthropic group with a clock face in its logo"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called `elk' in europe and `moose' in north america
  • Similar words include: Cervus elaphus, Alces alces, Cervus elaphus canadensis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. The so-called "Pineapple Isle""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an island of central hawaii; a pineapple-growing area
  • Similar words include: Lanai Island
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Goes around and around"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fastener consisting of a metal ring for lining a small hole to permit the attachment of cords or lines
  • Similar words include: iteration, intertwine, loop topology
  • Opposite of: open circuit, uncoil
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Make sense, with "up""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
  • Similar words include: minimal brain damage, append, sum
  • Opposite of: subtract, take away
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "Maggie ___," classic folk song covered by the Beatles"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. ChatGPT, Claude, etc."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency of the united states army responsible for providing timely and relevant and accurate and synchronized intelligence to tactical and operational and strategic level commanders
  • Similar words include: Army Intelligence, three-toed sloth, artificial insemination
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Inflicts"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
  • Similar words include: wreak, work, play
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WREAKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Muse of history"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) the muse of history
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Lasting damage from a tough experience, metaphorically"

11 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BATTLESCARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Milkshake flavor"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that chocolate cookie with white cream filling
  • Similar words include: oreo cookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Gospel shout"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a primeval egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at thebes
  • Similar words include: Amun, Amon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "30. "Fountain of Milk Spreading Itself Uselessly on Three Shoes" painter, 1945"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that surrealist spanish painter (1904-1989)
  • Similar words include: Salvador Dali
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DALI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "31. Contented sounds"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a low vibrating sound typical of a contented cat
  • Similar words include: birr, whir, whiz
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PURRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. "Changed my mind," in editing notation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that printing: cancel, as of a correction or deletion
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Curl"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
  • Similar words include: scroll, curlicue, gyre
  • Opposite of: uncoil
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Hip-knee connectors"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the longest and thickest bone of the human skeleton; extends from the pelvis to the knee
  • Similar words include: thighbone, femoris, femur
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEMURS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Source of linseed oil"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fiber of the flax plant that is made into thread and woven into linen fabric
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLAX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. It's all a haze"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
  • Similar words include: smogginess
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Drug bust unit"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one thousand grams; the basic unit of mass adopted under the systeme international d'unites
  • Similar words include: kg, kilogram
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KILO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. Model Miranda"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KERR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "47. Make neat"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIDYUP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "48. Large-eyed African antelope with a duplicative name"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIKDIK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. Fixate"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that haunt like a ghost; pursue
  • Similar words include: haunt, ghost
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBSESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "51. Give out"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an important question that is in dispute and must be settled
  • Similar words include: topic, egress, subject
  • Opposite of: recall
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISSUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "52. Neighbor of Ricky and Lucy, on 1950s TV"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "53. Far from house-trained"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wild and menacing
  • Similar words include: ferine, savage
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FERAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "56. Dodgy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that subject to accident or chance or change
  • Similar words include: fluky, flukey, chancy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IFFY

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35D: "57. 100%"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that free of extraneous elements of any kind
  • Similar words include: everlasting, thoroughgoing, sodding
  • Opposite of: unsaturated, impure
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PURE

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36D: "58. End piece?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a notice of someone's death; usually includes a short biography
  • Similar words include: necrology, obituary
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBIT

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37D: "59. Belinda's business on "The White Lotus""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a health resort near a spring or at the seaside
  • Similar words include: health spa, watering hole, resort hotel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPA

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38D: "60. Prevail"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a victory (as in a race or other competition)
  • Similar words include: bring home the bacon, acquire, advance
  • Opposite of: fall back, losings
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WIN

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39D: "61. Some test figs."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a measure of a person's intelligence as indicated by an intelligence test; the ratio of a person's mental age to their chronological age (multiplied by 100)
  • Similar words include: IQ, intelligence quotient, I.Q.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IQS

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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

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

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Last updated: May 21, 2026 at 07:05 AM