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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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

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

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

Looking for more puzzle solutions? Check out our comprehensive archive of NYT crossword hints and answers. We update daily with expert analysis and solving strategies.

Disclaimer: Crossword clues and grid © The New York Times. This site provides hints and educational content for puzzle enthusiasts. XWordHint is not affiliated with The New York Times.

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

Monday, February 16, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 16, 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: Challenging

Pro Tip: Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues - they're usually the easiest entry points!

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Necklace fastener 5
2A 6. Physique, slangily 3
3A 9. "___ to that!" 4
4A 13. Textile city NNE of Paris 5
5A 14. New wave band with the hit "Whip It" 4
6A 15. Improvise, in jazz 4
7A 16. Stared rudely 5
8A 17. Late-night kitchen visit, e.g. 4
9A 18. Stench 4
10A 19. Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom 13
11A 22. Home for pigs 3
12A 23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe 4
13A 24. Really, really cool 6
14A 27. "My dude!" 3
15A 28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs 4
16A 30. ___-Hulk 3
17A 31. Charge for airing a commercial 5
18A 34. Fictional lab assistant with a hunchback 4
19A 35. Stylish 4
20A 36. Capital of the Gem State, in a mailing address 7
21A 38. Possible cybercrime, informally 7
22A 40. M.I.T. Mystery ___ (annual puzzle competition) 4
23A 41. Close by 4
24A 43. Corrosion signs 5
25A 44. Stadium cheer 3
26A 45. Glance through 4
27A 46. Reader's Digest or Golf Digest, in brief 3
28A 47. Where clams are served 6
29A 49. Knotted (up) 4
30A 51. Rep.'s counterpart 3
31A 54. "Makes no difference to me" 13
32A 57. Actress Kendrick 4
33A 59. Hourly pay rate 4
34A 60. Flock that honks 5
35A 61. Follow directions 4
36A 62. Conga, for one 4
37A 63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium 5
38A 64. Scottish girl 4
39A 65. Place to get a rubdown 3
40A 66. Voting spots 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Necklace fastener"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together
  • Similar words include: clutches, grip, brooch
  • Opposite of: unclasp, unbuckle
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLASP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Physique, slangily"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that alternative names for the body of a human being
  • Similar words include: chassis, human body, form
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. "___ to that!""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. Textile city NNE of Paris"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an industrial city in northern france near the belgian border; was the medieval capital of flanders
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LILLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. New wave band with the hit "Whip It""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "15. Improvise, in jazz"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
  • Similar words include: tease, flirt, vamper
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VAMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "16. Stared rudely"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that look at with amorous intentions
  • Similar words include: ogle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OGLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "17. Late-night kitchen visit, e.g."

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sudden short attack
  • Similar words include: maraud, bust, foray
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "18. Stench"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any property detected by the olfactory system
  • Similar words include: olfactory sensation, olfactory perception, scent
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "19. Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom"

13 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THEWIZARDOFID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Home for pigs"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid
  • Similar words include: pigsty, hordeolum, stye
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
  • Similar words include: tike, boor, peasant
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. Really, really cool"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. "My dude!""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that trademark for a powerful operating system
  • Similar words include: UNIX operating system, UNIX system
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNIX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "30. ___-Hulk"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "31. Charge for airing a commercial"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "34. Fictional lab assistant with a hunchback"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "35. Stylish"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that elegance by virtue of being fashionable
  • Similar words include: chicness, last word, stylishness
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "36. Capital of the Gem State, in a mailing address"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. Possible cybercrime, informally"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. M.I.T. Mystery ___ (annual puzzle competition)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that englishman and pre-raphaelite painter (1827-1910)
  • Similar words include: Leigh Hunt, hunt down, Holman Hunt
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Close by"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move towards
  • Similar words include: come near, draw near, nearly
  • Opposite of: far
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "43. Corrosion signs"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture
  • Similar words include: eat, rust fungus, rust
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUSTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "44. Stadium cheer"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. Glance through"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of scanning; systematic examination of a prescribed region
  • Similar words include: glance over, rake, CAT scan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "46. Reader's Digest or Golf Digest, in brief"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
  • Similar words include: magazine
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "47. Where clams are served"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "49. Knotted (up)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord
  • Similar words include: connect, draw, level
  • Opposite of: untied, disconnect
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "51. Rep.'s counterpart"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "54. "Makes no difference to me""

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDGOEITHERWAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "57. Actress Kendrick"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a former copper coin of pakistan and india
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "59. Hourly pay rate"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that remunerates
  • Similar words include: pay, salary, earnings
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "60. Flock that honks"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
  • Similar words include: goose, goofball, jackass
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEESE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "61. Follow directions"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be obedient to
  • Opposite of: disobey
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "62. Conga, for one"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
  • Similar words include: cram, grind away, bone
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "64. Scottish girl"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a girl or young woman who is unmarried
  • Similar words include: lassie, jeune fille, young girl
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "65. Place to get a rubdown"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "66. Voting spots"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the place where people vote
  • Similar words include: public opinion poll, crown, canvass
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POLLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Thickens, as cream 5
2D 2. Not heavy 5
3D 3. Narrow way between city buildings 5
4D 4. Whole bunch 4
5D 5. Horse's ancestral line 8
6D 6. Hearty embrace 7
7D 7. Roman poet who wrote "Metamorphoses" 4
8D 8. Dull-witted sort 8
9D 9. Eschew 5
10D 10. Frantic scrambles 9
11D 11. Rock subgenre with confessional lyrics 3
12D 12. "All Things Considered" airer 3
13D 14. "Fiddlesticks!" 4
14D 20. D.C.'s National ___ 3
15D 21. Kind of number on an old business card 3
16D 25. Change gears 5
17D 26. Religious offshoots 5
18D 27. Top-tier 4
19D 29. Pinot ___ 4
20D 31. Give 0 stars in a review, say 5
21D 32. One giving support during childbirth 5
22D 33. High-quality reds and whites 9
23D 34. Something to noodle on 4
24D 35. Drink very quickly 4
25D 37. Glitterati 8
26D 39. Shortfall of exports vis-à-vis imports 8
27D 42. One of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean 7
28D 45. Droop 3
29D 46. "It's just OK" 3
30D 48. Occasions for blowing out candles on cakes, informally 5
31D 50. Agenda bullet point 4
32D 51. Linger (on), as a topic 5
33D 52. Art supporter 5
34D 53. Mike who voiced Shrek in "Shrek" 5
35D 55. Wyatt at the O.K. Corral 4
36D 56. Make over 4
37D 57. Early leader in instant messaging 3
38D 58. Org. for the Raptors, but not the Blue Jays 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Thickens, as cream"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid
  • Similar words include: clog, coagulum, clabber
  • Opposite of: homogenize
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Not heavy"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
  • Similar words include: easy, Light Within, illumine
  • Opposite of: extinguish, heavy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIGHT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Narrow way between city buildings"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a narrow street with walls on both sides
  • Similar words include: alleyway, back street, skittle alley
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALLEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Whole bunch"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
  • Similar words include: heap, mountain, spate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Horse's ancestral line"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the descendants of one individual
  • Similar words include: stemma, stock, line
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEDIGREE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Hearty embrace"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Roman poet who wrote "Metamorphoses""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roman poet remembered for his elegiac verses on love (43 bc - ad 17)
  • Similar words include: Publius Ovidius Naso
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Dull-witted sort"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Eschew"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
  • Similar words include: head off, obviate, annul
  • Opposite of: validate, confront
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVOID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Frantic scrambles"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Rock subgenre with confessional lyrics"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "All Things Considered" airer"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. "Fiddlesticks!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "20. D.C.'s National ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition
  • Similar words include: menagerie, zoological garden
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ZOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Kind of number on an old business card"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that duplicator that transmits the copy by wire or radio
  • Similar words include: facsimile, facsimile machine, telefax
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. Change gears"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an event in which something is displaced without rotation
  • Similar words include: shift key, agitate, transfer
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHIFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Religious offshoots"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a subdivision of a larger religious group
  • Similar words include: sect, religious sect, faction
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SECTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Top-tier"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the supreme effort one can make
  • Similar words include: Charles Herbert Best, sound, serious
  • Opposite of: badly, bad
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Pinot ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "31. Give 0 stars in a review, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that find repugnant
  • Similar words include: execrate, loathe, abominate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABHOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. One giving support during childbirth"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an assistant (often the father of the soon-to-be-born child) who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes
  • Similar words include: birthing coach, monitrice, labor coach
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOULA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. High-quality reds and whites"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. Something to noodle on"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
  • Similar words include: melodic theme, theme, approximation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Drink very quickly"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the dull explosive noise made by an engine
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHUG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Glitterati"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Shortfall of exports vis-à-vis imports"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. One of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the largest of the islands comprising antigua and barbuda
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTIGUA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "45. Droop"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shape that sags
  • Similar words include: flag, swag, sag down
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "46. "It's just OK""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "48. Occasions for blowing out candles on cakes, informally"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Agenda bullet point"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
  • Similar words include: particular, point, detail
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "51. Linger (on), as a topic"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that think moodily or anxiously about something
  • Similar words include: inhabit, lie, harp
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DWELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Art supporter"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASEL

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34D: "53. Mike who voiced Shrek in "Shrek""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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35D: "55. Wyatt at the O.K. Corral"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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36D: "56. Make over"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that do over, as of (part of) a house
  • Similar words include: remodel, refashion, reconstruct
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDO

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37D: "57. Early leader in instant messaging"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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38D: "58. Org. for the Raptors, but not the Blue Jays"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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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

40 Across Clues
38 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

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Last updated: February 16, 2026 at 05:14 AM