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Wednesday, April 15, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers April 15, 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. Playbill groups 5
2A 6. "He's very modest — he has a lot to be modest about," e.g. 4
3A 10. Like an enthusiast 4
4A 14. Tokyo-based brewery 5
5A 15. Musical instrument whose second syllable sounds like a part of other musical instruments 4
6A 16. Snackable seaweed 4
7A 17. Put all the bold letters in this clue together? 10
8A 19. Aussie greeting 4
9A 20. Paper view? 4
10A 21. One reason to pucker up 4
11A 22. Its antlers can grow up to an inch per day 3
12A 23. Cheese tested as cannon ammunition on "MythBusters" (it didn't work) 4
13A 25. How two people might walk 7
14A 29. Put all the bold letters in this clue together? 14
15A 32. Get into a get-up 6
16A 33. Mamá's boy 4
17A 34. Gold, at the Milano Cortina Olympics 3
18A 35. "Dagnabbit!" 4
19A 36. Sheriff's backup 5
20A 38. Tech review site 4
21A 39. "I love," in Italian and Spanish 3
22A 40. Veg out in a spa? 4
23A 41. Works out, say 6
24A 43. Put all the bold letters in this clue together? 14
25A 46. Russian revolutionary of the early 1900s 7
26A 47. Longtime Yankee nickname 4
27A 48. "___ to the West Wind" 3
28A 49. Isle in Scotland's Inner Hebrides 4
29A 51. "It's fun to stay at the ___" (1978 lyric) 4
30A 55. Presidential power 4
31A 57. Put all the bold letters in this clue together? 10
32A 59. Blizzard ingredient 4
33A 60. English singer Parks 4
34A 61. Potato-based Hanukkah serving 5
35A 62. Heartfelt, say 4
36A 63. Cat's cry 4
37A 64. Parts of a copse 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Playbill groups"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the actors in a play
  • Similar words include: purge, plaster bandage, plaster cast
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CASTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. "He's very modest — he has a lot to be modest about," e.g."

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
  • Similar words include: dig, agree, jibe
  • Opposite of: disagree
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GIBE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Like an enthusiast"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (often followed by `for') ardently or excessively desirous
  • Similar words include: greedy, esurient, devouring
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Tokyo-based brewery"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Musical instrument whose second syllable sounds like a part of other musical instruments"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slender double-reed instrument; a woodwind with a conical bore and a double-reed mouthpiece
  • Similar words include: hautboy, hautbois
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Snackable seaweed"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Put all the bold letters in this clue together?"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Aussie greeting"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Paper view?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. One reason to pucker up"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
  • Similar words include: osculation, osculate, candy kiss
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KISS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Its antlers can grow up to an inch per day"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

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: American elk, moose, Alces alces
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Cheese tested as cannon ammunition on "MythBusters" (it didn't work)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that mild yellow dutch cheese made in balls encased in a red covering
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. How two people might walk"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that being up to particular standard or level especially in being up to date in knowledge
  • Similar words include: au fait, au courant, up on
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABREAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Put all the bold letters in this clue together?"

14 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CREATEAMONSTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Get into a get-up"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that provide with clothes or put clothes on
  • Similar words include: adorn, drape, garment
  • Opposite of: undress
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOTHE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. Mamá's boy"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Gold, at the Milano Cortina Olympics"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. "Dagnabbit!""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
  • Similar words include: shit, stinker, scab
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "36. Sheriff's backup"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a temporary police force
  • Similar words include: posse comitatus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POSSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "38. Tech review site"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "39. "I love," in Italian and Spanish"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. Veg out in a spa?"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cylindrical green fruit with thin green rind and white flesh eaten as a vegetable; related to melons
  • Similar words include: cucumber
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Works out, say"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
  • Similar words include: power train, trail, groom
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRAINS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "43. Put all the bold letters in this clue together?"

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORMANALLIANCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Russian revolutionary of the early 1900s"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that russian revolutionary and communist theorist who helped lenin and built up the army; he was ousted from the communist party by stalin and eventually assassinated in mexico (1879-1940)
  • Similar words include: Lev Davidovich Bronstein, Leon Trotsky
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TROTSKY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "47. Longtime Yankee nickname"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "48. "___ to the West Wind""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "49. Isle in Scotland's Inner Hebrides"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "51. "It's fun to stay at the ___" (1978 lyric)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. Presidential power"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a vote that blocks a decision
  • Similar words include: forbid, nix, blackball
  • Opposite of: allow, permit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VETO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. Put all the bold letters in this clue together?"

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "59. Blizzard ingredient"

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!

33A: "60. English singer Parks"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "61. Potato-based Hanukkah serving"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that made of grated potato and egg with a little flour
  • Similar words include: potato pancake
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LATKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "62. Heartfelt, say"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that get warm or warmer
  • Similar words include: ardent, lovesome, affectionate
  • Opposite of: cool
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "63. Cat's cry"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a cat (or any sound resembling this)
  • Similar words include: miaul, miaow, miaou
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "64. Parts of a copse"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
  • Similar words include: shoetree, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, tree diagram
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TREES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Hunter's attire, informally 4
2D 2. "Like, now!" 4
3D 3. Drink that's often served hot in the winter 4
4D 4. When and where, in slang 8
5D 5. One-named singer with the 2022 hit "Unstoppable" 3
6D 6. The moment of truth 6
7D 7. Bird with a long, downward-curving bill 4
8D 8. Brest besties 8
9D 9. "Holy cannoli!" 3
10D 10. Geometers' calculations 6
11D 11. Clear cocktail often served with lime 10
12D 12. Apt letters missing from ret_ _ement pl_n 3
13D 13. Like some remodels, for short 3
14D 18. Genre for Blink-182 and Sum 41 9
15D 22. Toy inventer Rubik 4
16D 24. Bit of Morse code 3
17D 26. Completely beat 9
18D 27. Like a glassy lake 6
19D 28. Puts on display, with "out" 5
20D 29. Tumult 6
21D 30. Big name in plumbing 10
22D 31. Photographer Adams 5
23D 32. Woodworking or glass blowing 5
24D 37. "All right, I'm convinced" 8
25D 38. Milky Way or Mars 8
26D 40. Suit, e.g. 4
27D 42. Indian P.M. of the 1990s 3
28D 44. Destination for Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings" 6
29D 45. Tried not to draw attention 6
30D 50. Letter between Juliet and Lima 4
31D 52. Dole (out) 4
32D 53. Order for a wedding reception 4
33D 54. One of the Twelve Olympians 4
34D 55. Promise 3
35D 56. Pitching stat 3
36D 57. Comic book onomatopoeia 3
37D 58. Music genre prefix 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Hunter's attire, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan; intended to make the wearer of a garment made of this fabric hard to distinguish from the background
  • Similar words include: camouflage
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. "Like, now!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that as soon as possible
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Drink that's often served hot in the winter"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reason for wanting something done
  • Similar words include: rice beer, saki, interest
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. When and where, in slang"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. One-named singer with the 2022 hit "Unstoppable""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. The moment of truth"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Bird with a long, downward-curving bill"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wading birds of warm regions having long slender down-curved bills
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IBIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Brest besties"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. "Holy cannoli!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Geometers' calculations"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
  • Similar words include: slant, fish, angle
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANGLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Clear cocktail often served with lime"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Apt letters missing from ret_ _ement pl_n"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a militant organization of irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive british forces from northern ireland and achieve a united independent ireland
  • Similar words include: ire, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Provos
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Like some remodels, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Genre for Blink-182 and Sum 41"

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Toy inventer Rubik"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Bit of Morse code"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the longer of the two telegraphic signals used in morse code
  • Similar words include: dash
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Completely beat"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Like a glassy lake"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not agitated; without losing self-possession
  • Similar words include: calm, unagitated, tranquil
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SERENE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Puts on display, with "out""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slow pace of running
  • Similar words include: Trotskyist, lope, Trotskyite
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TROTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Tumult"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud harsh or strident noise
  • Similar words include: din, clamouring, hue and cry
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLAMOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Big name in plumbing"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. Photographer Adams"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. Woodworking or glass blowing"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the skilled practice of a practical occupation
  • Similar words include: trade, craftiness, slyness
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRAFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. "All right, I'm convinced""

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Milky Way or Mars"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "40. Suit, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an occurrence of something
  • Similar words include: typesetter's case, showcase, lawsuit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Indian P.M. of the 1990s"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Destination for Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Tried not to draw attention"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "50. Letter between Juliet and Lima"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "52. Dole (out)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a line that indicates a boundary
  • Similar words include: border, delimitation, borderline
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: METE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "53. Order for a wedding reception"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
  • Similar words include: bar, coat, patty
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "54. One of the Twelve Olympians"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) greek god of war; son of zeus and hera; identified with roman mars
  • Similar words include: are, ar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "55. Promise"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
  • Similar words include: consecrate
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "56. Pitching stat"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
  • Similar words include: epoch, geological era, earned run average
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Comic book onomatopoeia"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ancient city in southeastern iran; destroyed by an earthquake in 2003
  • Similar words include: blast, eruption, bang
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "58. Music genre prefix"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

37 Across Clues
37 Down Clues
74 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.

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Last updated: April 15, 2026 at 05:36 AM

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 18, 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. Genre for James Brown or Al Green, informally 5
2A 6. Biblical name for Syria 4
3A 10. International agreements 5
4A 15. "That's ___" (Dean Martin classic) 5
5A 16. Plumb mad 4
6A 17. Ancient Greek marketplace 5
7A 18. Dwindled away 10
8A 20. ___ Aran, heroine of Nintendo's Metroid 5
9A 21. 🕘⏳⏰ 15
10A 23. Gullible one 3
11A 24. Pepper that's two steps above poblano on the Scoville scale 7
12A 25. Irritated outburst 3
13A 28. Carnaval city, informally 3
14A 30. Smallish batteries 3
15A 31. Reservoir producer 3
16A 34. Bounty 9
17A 38. Favorable starting point of an auto race 4
18A 39. 🤙👏👋 16
19A 43. The Farm Service Agcy. is part of it 4
20A 44. Some wand wielders 9
21A 45. Trident-shaped letter 3
22A 46. QB's call 3
23A 49. Write "their" for "there," say 3
24A 50. Slopping spot 3
25A 51. Offensively odorous 7
26A 55. Noted wildlife refuge 3
27A 57. 💬🗣️🗯️ 15
28A 62. Cara of "Fame" fame 5
29A 63. Digital capture 10
30A 65. Enchantress of Greek mythology 5
31A 66. Popular D.I.Y. website 4
32A 67. Go after 5
33A 68. Nincompoops 5
34A 69. Rackets 4
35A 70. Reduced to crumbs, say 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Genre for James Brown or Al Green, informally"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Biblical name for Syria"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the biblical name for ancient syria
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. International agreements"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
  • Similar words include: pact, accord, treaty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PACTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. "That's ___" (Dean Martin classic)"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. Plumb mad"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
  • Similar words include: kooky, wacky, around the bend
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOCO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Ancient Greek marketplace"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 100 agorot equal 1 shekel in israel
  • Similar words include: public square
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. Dwindled away"

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. ___ Aran, heroine of Nintendo's Metroid"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. 🕘⏳⏰"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIGNSOFTHETIMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Gullible one"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant
  • Similar words include: tomfool, exhaust, muggins
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Pepper that's two steps above poblano on the Scoville scale"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Irritated outburst"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "28. Carnaval city, informally"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the former capital and 2nd largest city of brazil; chief brazilian port; famous as a tourist attraction
  • Similar words include: Rio de Janeiro
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Smallish batteries"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an associate degree in applied science
  • Similar words include: Associate in Arts, aa, AA
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Reservoir producer"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
  • Similar words include: dkm, dam up, decameter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Bounty"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply
  • Similar words include: teemingness, copiousness
  • Opposite of: scarcity
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABUNDANCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "38. Favorable starting point of an auto race"

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: terminal, rod, magnetic pole
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "39. 🤙👏👋"

16 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SYMBOLICGESTURES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "43. The Farm Service Agcy. is part of it"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the federal department that administers programs that provide services to farmers (including research and soil conservation and efforts to stabilize the farming economy); created in 1862
  • Similar words include: Agriculture, Agriculture Department, Department of Agriculture
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "44. Some wand wielders"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one who practices magic or sorcery
  • Similar words include: thaumaturgist, magician, necromancer
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SORCERERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "45. Trident-shaped letter"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

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!

22A: "46. QB's call"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that temporary military shelter
  • Similar words include: shack, army hut, hovel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "49. Write "their" for "there," say"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to make a mistake or be incorrect
  • Similar words include: mistake, stray, drift
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "50. Slopping spot"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "51. Offensively odorous"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that causing or able to cause nausea
  • Similar words include: stinking, funky, ill-scented
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOISOME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "55. Noted wildlife refuge"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (judaism) sacred chest where the ancient hebrews kept the two tablets containing the ten commandments
  • Similar words include: Ark of the Covenant
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "57. 💬🗣️🗯️"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIGURESOFSPEECH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "62. Cara of "Fame" fame"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "63. Digital capture"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "65. Enchantress of Greek mythology"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) a sorceress who detained odysseus on her island and turned his men into swine
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIRCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "66. Popular D.I.Y. website"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "67. Go after"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
  • Similar words include: pursual, tag, track
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "68. Nincompoops"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: can, buns, butt
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "69. Rackets"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud harsh or strident noise
  • Similar words include: rumpus, blaring, boom
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DINS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "70. Reduced to crumbs, say"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take in solid food
  • Similar words include: exhaust, deplete, eat
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EATEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. What a fall guy has to take, with "the" 3
2D 2. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones 4
3D 3. Terse denial 4
4D 4. Remains 5
5D 5. Leader of the Sharks in "West Side Story" 8
6D 6. Gucci of fashion 4
7D 7. Locales for some urban gardens 5
8D 8. Like the accents in "déclassé" 5
9D 9. Godzilla foe 6
10D 10. Elbows and bow ties 6
11D 11. Once more 5
12D 12. Best-selling home computers of the 1980s 10
13D 13. On the money 4
14D 14. Freshness 4
15D 19. Observation 6
16D 22. It might be a stretch for historians 3
17D 25. Fill an automobile tank ... or boost the confidence of, in slang 5
18D 26. Deep chasm 5
19D 27. Pips 10
20D 29. Demon of Japanese folklore 3
21D 32. On guard 5
22D 33. Like some buns and bedrooms 5
23D 35. Org. for Wizards and Magic 3
24D 36. Includes, in a way 3
25D 37. One of the "six enemies of the mind," in Hinduism 3
26D 38. Big name in water filters 3
27D 40. Old-fashioned word that's a homophone of 49-Across 3
28D 41. Distressing encounter 6
29D 42. ___ Howard, Oscar-nominated actor for 2005's "Hustle & Flow" 8
30D 46. New workmates 6
31D 47. Manipulate 3
32D 48. Cast 6
33D 52. Meager measure of compassion? 5
34D 53. Traditional rice cake snack on Japanese New Year 5
35D 54. Actor Zac of "High School Musical" 5
36D 56. Singer with the 2009 #1 hit "Tik Tok" 5
37D 57. Acronym on a W-2 4
38D 58. Bluish-purple bloom 4
39D 59. Wraps (up) 4
40D 60. Tête-à-tête 4
41D 61. Firefighting aid 4
42D 64. X 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. What a fall guy has to take, with "the""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
  • Similar words include: whang, hip-hop, tap
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Terse denial"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Remains"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sediment that has settled at the bottom of a liquid
  • Similar words include: dreg, settlings
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DREGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Leader of the Sharks in "West Side Story""

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Gucci of fashion"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Locales for some urban gardens"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Like the accents in "déclassé""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
  • Similar words include: ague, piercing, intense
  • Opposite of: chronic, obtuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACUTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Godzilla foe"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Elbows and bow ties"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dish that contains pasta as its main ingredient
  • Similar words include: pasta, alimentary paste
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Once more"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: once more, over again, once again
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGAIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Best-selling home computers of the 1980s"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a commissioned naval officer who ranks above a captain and below a rear admiral; the lowest grade of admiral
  • Similar words include: commodore
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMMODORES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. On the money"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment
  • Similar words include: admittedly, dependable, dead on target
  • Opposite of: false, untruthful
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Freshness"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an impudent or insolent rejoinder
  • Similar words include: SAS, lip, back talk
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Observation"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of detecting something; catching sight of something
  • Similar words include: catching, spotting, spying
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESPIAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "22. It might be a stretch for historians"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
  • Similar words include: epoch, geological era, earned run average
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Fill an automobile tank ... or boost the confidence of, in slang"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Deep chasm"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
  • Similar words include: abysm
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABYSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Pips"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone of remarkable excellence
  • Similar words include: humdinger
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUMDINGERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Demon of Japanese folklore"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the military intelligence agency that provides for the intelligence and counterintelligence and investigative and security requirements of the united states navy
  • Similar words include: Office of Naval Intelligence
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. On guard"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that condition of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action
  • Similar words include: lively, spanking, zippy
  • Opposite of: unalert
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALERT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Like some buns and bedrooms"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dirty and disorderly
  • Similar words include: mussy
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MESSY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Org. for Wizards and Magic"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Includes, in a way"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metric unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a liter
  • Similar words include: cubic centimetre, cubic centimeter, milliliter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CCS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. One of the "six enemies of the mind," in Hinduism"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others
  • Similar words include: self-importance, self, egotism
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Big name in water filters"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Old-fashioned word that's a homophone of 49-Across"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. Distressing encounter"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a harsh noise made by scraping
  • Similar words include: scratch, scar, scraping
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCRAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. ___ Howard, Oscar-nominated actor for 2005's "Hustle & Flow""

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. New workmates"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that engage or hire for work
  • Similar words include: engage, lease, employ
  • Opposite of: fire
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIREES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Manipulate"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of using
  • Similar words include: consumption, usage, economic consumption
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Cast"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that throw or toss with a light motion
  • Similar words include: cast out, toss away, cast aside
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOSSED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Meager measure of compassion?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a pound
  • Similar words include: troy ounce, snow leopard, Panthera uncia
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUNCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Traditional rice cake snack on Japanese New Year"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Actor Zac of "High School Musical""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "56. Singer with the 2009 #1 hit "Tik Tok""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "57. Acronym on a W-2"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tax on employees and employers that is used to fund the social security system
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FICA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Bluish-purple bloom"

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: flag, fleur-de-lis, sword lily
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Wraps (up)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fasten by sewing; do needlework
  • Similar words include: tailor-make, sew, stitch
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. Tête-à-tête"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an informal conversation
  • Similar words include: chew the fat, confabulate, shoot the breeze
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "61. Firefighting aid"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that socks and stockings and tights collectively (the british include underwear)
  • Similar words include: hose down, hosepipe, hosiery
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "64. X"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
  • Similar words include: tenner, decade, ten-spot
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEN

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
42 Down Clues
77 Total Clues

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Last updated: February 18, 2026 at 05:09 AM