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Wednesday, April 8, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers April 08, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. "I'm afraid not," quaintly 6
2A 7. Food brand for Fido 4
3A 11. Like major-city airports, typically: Abbr. 4
4A 15. Cash in 6
5A 16. Avocado dip, informally 4
6A 17. Take a risk 4
7A 18. Audience's reverent response to a symphony finale? 11
8A 20. Keenly interested 4
9A 21. Shakespearean "soon" 4
10A 22. That certain je ne sais quoi in Beethoven's "Moonlight"? 11
11A 24. Commotion 3
12A 25. Measure of college readiness, for short 4
13A 26. Knuckled rub to the scalp 6
14A 27. Publishing house workers: Abbr. 3
15A 28. Goal 3
16A 29. Wood-shaping hand tool 4
17A 31. Tagging symbols 3
18A 32. ___-Magnon 3
19A 33. Vegas opener? 3
20A 34. Perry of pop 4
21A 36. Opportunity for a choral understudy? 12
22A 39. Belgrade native 4
23A 40. "Beats me," in a text 3
24A 41. Caviar, essentially 3
25A 42. Miss Piggy, for one 3
26A 43. Assns. 4
27A 45. Extended comedic riff 3
28A 46. Hindi for "rule" 3
29A 49. Chant heard at the start of "Hot Hot Hot" 6
30A 51. Girl in Glasgow 4
31A 52. Alias initialism 3
32A 53. When to play a note with sudden strong emphasis? 11
33A 56. "Groovy, man" 4
34A 57. Popular flavor of bubble tea 4
35A 58. "What's Opera, Doc?," e.g.? 11
36A 60. Volunteer's offer 4
37A 61. Hits hard 4
38A 62. Respond, as a pupil might 6
39A 63. Ending with kitchen 4
40A 64. Painter Paul 4
41A 65. Key of Brahms's Symphony No. 4 6

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "I'm afraid not," quaintly"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "7. Food brand for Fido"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Like major-city airports, typically: Abbr."

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. Cash in"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that save from sins
  • Similar words include: ransom, pay off, save
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDEEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. Avocado dip, informally"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Take a risk"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
  • Similar words include: make bold, defy, presume
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. Audience's reverent response to a symphony finale?"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Keenly interested"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Shakespearean "soon""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that at another time
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. That certain je ne sais quoi in Beethoven's "Moonlight"?"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Commotion"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud harsh or strident noise
  • Similar words include: blaring, clamor, commotion
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Measure of college readiness, for short"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Knuckled rub to the scalp"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. Publishing house workers: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rapid automatic system to detect plastic explosives in passengers' luggage using x-ray technology and computers; designed for use in airports
  • Similar words include: male erecticle dysfunction, ED, explosive detection system
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "28. Goal"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
  • Similar words include: point, intent, direct
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "29. Wood-shaping hand tool"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that uttering in an irritated tone
  • Similar words include: rasping, wood file
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RASP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "31. Tagging symbols"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series); a decay product of uranium and thorium
  • Similar words include: At, atomic number 85, astatine
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "32. ___-Magnon"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that electronic equipment that provides visual images of varying electrical quantities
  • Similar words include: cathode-ray oscilloscope, oscilloscope, scope
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "33. Vegas opener?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
  • Similar words include: Louisiana, lanthanum, La
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "34. Perry of pop"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "36. Opportunity for a choral understudy?"

12 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "39. Belgrade native"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a slavic people who settled in serbia and neighboring areas in the 6th and 7th centuries
  • Similar words include: Serbian
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SERB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "40. "Beats me," in a text"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "41. Caviar, essentially"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fish eggs or egg-filled ovary; having a grainy texture
  • Similar words include: hard roe
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "42. Miss Piggy, for one"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an adult female hog
  • Similar words include: inseminate, seed, sow in
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "43. Assns."

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "45. Extended comedic riff"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small piece or quantity of something
  • Similar words include: second, piece, act
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "46. Hindi for "rule""

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that british dominion over india (1757-1947)
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAJ

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "49. Chant heard at the start of "Hot Hot Hot""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "51. Girl in Glasgow"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "52. Alias initialism"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "53. When to play a note with sudden strong emphasis?"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "56. "Groovy, man""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "57. Popular flavor of bubble tea"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants
  • Similar words include: dasheen, Colocasia esculenta, dalo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "58. "What's Opera, Doc?," e.g.?"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "60. Volunteer's offer"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "61. Hits hard"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on; an integrated circuit memory chip allows information to be stored or accessed in any order and all storage locations are equally accessible
  • Similar words include: Aries the Ram, ram, read/write memory
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "62. Respond, as a pupil might"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that become wider
  • Similar words include: exposit, elaborate, distend
  • Opposite of: contract
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DILATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "63. Ending with kitchen"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "64. Painter Paul"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that swiss painter influenced by kandinsky (1879-1940)
  • Similar words include: Paul Klee
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KLEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "65. Key of Brahms's Symphony No. 4"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Covered passageway 6
2D 2. Meteor in a November shower 6
3D 3. Enhancing accessories 6
4D 4. Actor Astin of the "Lord of the Rings" films 4
5D 5. Original Super Mario Bros. console 3
6D 6. Oversight 8
7D 7. Author's representative 5
8D 8. Moon over Managua 4
9D 9. Treaty 4
10D 10. What Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa are both believed to have 6
11D 11. The Gem State 5
12D 12. Find one's way 8
13D 13. Dublin college founded in 1592 7
14D 14. Apartment planter sites, perhaps 6
15D 19. Good gardening soil 4
16D 23. Traditional samurai hairstyles 8
17D 25. Graph of y = ax2 + bx + c, for example 8
18D 29. Frame for a game of pool 4
19D 30. Forehead marking at the start of Lent 3
20D 32. Convention bldg., in a mailing address 3
21D 33. Dudes, in British English 4
22D 35. Big name in hardware stores 3
23D 36. Underground scurrier 8
24D 37. Half of a darting motion 3
25D 38. Jean-Bertrand ___, 1990s Haitian leader 8
26D 39. One-man band, for example 7
27D 42. Sentimental sort 6
28D 44. Comment 6
29D 45. Make ___ (earn vast sums) 4
30D 46. Unit of angular measurement 6
31D 47. Like 6
32D 48. Rolling Stones frontman 6
33D 50. Absorber of UV light 5
34D 51. Charter 5
35D 54. Word with cavity or contraceptive 4
36D 55. One acting rather quiet? 4
37D 56. Savory South Asian rice cake 4
38D 59. Lower, as lights 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Covered passageway"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a covered passageway with shops and stalls on either side
  • Similar words include: colonnade
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Meteor in a November shower"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Enhancing accessories"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Actor Astin of the "Lord of the Rings" films"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Original Super Mario Bros. console"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
  • Similar words include: Nebraska, Ne, nor'-east
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Oversight"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mistake resulting from neglect
  • Similar words include: deletion, skip
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMISSION

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Author's representative"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
  • Similar words include: agentive role, broker, federal agent
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Moon over Managua"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (roman mythology) the goddess of the moon; counterpart of greek selene
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Treaty"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. What Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa are both believed to have"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
  • Similar words include: ocean, sea
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCEANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. The Gem State"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in the rocky mountains
  • Similar words include: Gem State, ID
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDAHO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Find one's way"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that travel on water propelled by wind or by other means
  • Similar words include: pilot, sail, voyage
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAVIGATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Dublin college founded in 1592"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
  • Similar words include: deuce-ace, tercet, III
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRINITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Apartment planter sites, perhaps"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
  • Similar words include: shelf, ledge
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEDGES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Good gardening soil"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Traditional samurai hairstyles"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that headdress consisting of a decorative ribbon or bow worn in the hair
  • Similar words include: topknot
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOPKNOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Graph of y = ax2 + bx + c, for example"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the curve
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARABOLA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "29. Frame for a game of pool"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that framework for holding objects
  • Similar words include: extort, scud, squeeze
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RACK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "30. Forehead marking at the start of Lent"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the residue that remains when something is burned
  • Similar words include: ash tree
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "32. Convention bldg., in a mailing address"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "33. Dudes, in British English"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a boy or man
  • Similar words include: fellow, fella, cub
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Big name in hardware stores"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: genius, single, sensation
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Underground scurrier"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Half of a darting motion"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an angular shape characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions
  • Similar words include: zigzag, zag
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ZIG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Jean-Bertrand ___, 1990s Haitian leader"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. One-man band, for example"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Sentimental sort"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is weak and excessively sentimental
  • Similar words include: softy
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFTIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Comment"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
  • Similar words include: observe, notice, input
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REMARK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Make ___ (earn vast sums)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
  • Similar words include: banking company, coin bank, rely
  • Opposite of: withdraw, mistrust
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BANK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Unit of angular measurement"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the unit of plane angle adopted under the systeme international d'unites; equal to the angle at the center of a circle subtended by an arc equal in length to the radius (approximately 57.295 degrees)
  • Similar words include: rad
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RADIAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Like"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Rolling Stones frontman"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that english rock star (born in 1943)
  • Similar words include: Mick Jagger, Michael Philip Jagger
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JAGGER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Absorber of UV light"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless gas (o3) soluble in alkalis and cold water; a strong oxidizing agent; can be produced by electric discharge in oxygen or by the action of ultraviolet radiation on oxygen in the stratosphere (where it acts as a screen for ultraviolet radiation)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OZONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Charter"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that property that is leased or rented out or let
  • Similar words include: take, rental, letting
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Word with cavity or contraceptive"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an examination conducted by spoken communication
  • Similar words include: unwritten, viva, oral exam
  • Opposite of: aboral, anal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. One acting rather quiet?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an actor who communicates entirely by gesture and facial expression
  • Similar words include: dumb show, pantomime, mimer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Savory South Asian rice cake"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "59. Lower, as lights"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam
  • Similar words include: shadowy, wispy, blind
  • Opposite of: undimmed, focus
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIM

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

41 Across Clues
38 Down Clues
79 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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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: April 08, 2026 at 05:26 AM

Thursday, January 15, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers January 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: Tricky

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Cattle calls 4
2A 5. Visible sign of hard work 5
3A 10. El ___ (precursor of the Expressionists) 5
4A 15. Novelist Quindlen who wrote "One True Thing" 4
5A 16. One of five ... or maybe six? 5
6A 17. Like darts 5
7A 18. *Oft-quoted advice in Matthew 7:7 18
8A 21. Herb related to parsley 5
9A 22. Part of L.G.B.T.Q. 3
10A 23. Races longer than marathons, informally 6
11A 24. First name in rap? 3
12A 25. Stat for Aaron Judge 3
13A 27. Puts the finishing touches on, in a way 4
14A 28. *24/7/365 14
15A 32. Some scanners, for short 3
16A 35. Jan. 1 through today 3
17A 36. Oodles of time 4
18A 37. Elate 4
19A 38. Nobelist Joliot-Curie who synthesized radioactive isotopes 5
20A 41. Stereotypical dog 4
21A 42. Bases of shipbuilding 5
22A 43. Sol, but not Luna 4
23A 44. Word with sponge or fish 4
24A 45. Quarterback's asset 3
25A 46. Shiny little platters 3
26A 47. *Evening spent playing with the kids, say 15
27A 52. Stare in astonishment 4
28A 53. Just peachy 3
29A 54. Possible response to "Tu veux du chocolat?" 3
30A 55. Idiomatic partner of "lose" 6
31A 58. Disney still 3
32A 60. Directive written in currants in "Alice in Wonderland" 5
33A 62. Tendency to reinforce one's established beliefs ... or a hint to answering this puzzle's starred clues 16
34A 65. Playwright Chekhov 5
35A 66. Following 5
36A 67. "Sorry ... hard pass" 4
37A 68. Corporate musical chairs, for short 5
38A 69. Rib 5
39A 70. Quinceañera celebrant, e.g. 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Cattle calls"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a cow or bull
  • Similar words include: moo, low
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Visible sign of hard work"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
  • Similar words include: fret, elbow grease, perspire
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. El ___ (precursor of the Expressionists)"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that spanish painter (born in greece) remembered for his religious works characterized by elongated human forms and dramatic use of color (1541-1614)
  • Similar words include: El Greco, Domenikos Theotocopoulos
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRECO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. Novelist Quindlen who wrote "One True Thing""

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!

5A: "16. One of five ... or maybe six?"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general conscious awareness
  • Similar words include: mother wit, sensation, sensory faculty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Like darts"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
  • Similar words include: shoot for, take aim, take
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIMED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. *Oft-quoted advice in Matthew 7:7"

18 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEEKANDYESHALLFIND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "21. Herb related to parsley"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that native to egypt but cultivated widely for its aromatic seeds and the oil from them used medicinally and as a flavoring in cookery
  • Similar words include: anise plant, Pimpinella anisum, aniseed
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANISE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Part of L.G.B.T.Q."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex
  • Similar words include: homo, jolly, festive
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Races longer than marathons, informally"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. First name in rap?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Stat for Aaron Judge"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Puts the finishing touches on, in a way"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water frozen in the solid state
  • Similar words include: water ice, internal-combustion engine, shabu
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. *24/7/365"

14 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Some scanners, for short"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency established in 2001 to safeguard united states transportation systems and insure safe air travel
  • Similar words include: Transportation Security Administration
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. Jan. 1 through today"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Oodles of time"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the longest division of geological time
  • Similar words include: aeon, eon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EONS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. Elate"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to go somewhere
  • Similar words include: ship, air, institutionalize
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Nobelist Joliot-Curie who synthesized radioactive isotopes"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Stereotypical dog"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Bases of shipbuilding"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a projection or ridge that suggests a keel
  • Similar words include: keel, lurch, careen
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEELS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. Sol, but not Luna"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a brief written record
  • Similar words include: bank bill, distinction, mention
  • Opposite of: ignore
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Word with sponge or fish"

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, patty, coat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Quarterback's asset"

3 letters Category: Common Word

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: fortify, sleeve, limb
  • Opposite of: disarm
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Shiny little platters"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a soft bluish-white ductile malleable toxic bivalent metallic element; occurs in association with zinc ores
  • Similar words include: CD, standard candle, atomic number 48
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "47. *Evening spent playing with the kids, say"

15 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "52. Stare in astonishment"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an expression of openmouthed astonishment
  • Similar words include: yaw, gawk, gawp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. Just peachy"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "54. Possible response to "Tu veux du chocolat?""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. Idiomatic partner of "lose""

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sleeping for a short period of time (usually not in bed)
  • Similar words include: cat sleep, drowse, doze
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOOZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "58. Disney still"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Directive written in currants in "Alice in Wonderland""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "62. Tendency to reinforce one's established beliefs ... or a hint to answering this puzzle's starred clues"

16 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "65. Playwright Chekhov"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "66. Following"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that located farther aft
  • Similar words include: later on, later, afterwards
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "67. "Sorry ... hard pass""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "68. Corporate musical chairs, for short"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "69. Rib"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)
  • Similar words include: teaser, badger, tantalize
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "70. Quinceañera celebrant, e.g."

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity
  • Similar words include: teenaged, adolescent, stripling
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Indian spice blend 6
2D 2. Low soccer score 6
3D 3. Food writer Molly 6
4D 4. Fifth Avenue store 4
5D 5. W-9 fig. 3
6D 6. One method of sibling torture 6
7D 7. Oscar-nominated singer/songwriter for "May It Be" (2001) 4
8D 8. Like a used firepit 4
9D 9. What might give you a brewed awakening? 3
10D 10. Narrow kitchen 6
11D 11. Results of feuds 5
12D 12. Title for any male in the House of Saud 4
13D 13. Actor John who has granted more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation 4
14D 14. Sportsbook calculation 4
15D 19. Make bubbly 6
16D 20. Created Yoda, he did 5
17D 26. Brief letters? 3
18D 27. Fig. on a driver's license 4
19D 29. Unit of force 4
20D 30. Energy-healing practice 5
21D 31. Fluctuate between normal singing and falsetto 5
22D 32. Bit of concert merch 3
23D 33. Show that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, in brief 3
24D 34. About a third of an N.F.L. broadcast 3
25D 37. Highway behemoth 4
26D 38. Fortune competitor 3
27D 39. 5.5 yards 3
28D 40. Subject of astrobiology, in brief 3
29D 41. Star quality 4
30D 42. Seattle N.H.L. team 6
31D 44. April fool, e.g. 5
32D 45. Sixth word of the Gettysburg Address 3
33D 47. Throwing for a loop 6
34D 48. Bulldog supporters 6
35D 49. The moment of truth 6
36D 50. "The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being ___": Mahatma Gandhi 6
37D 51. Dons, as an apron 6
38D 52. Really try to get 5
39D 55. C-section reminder 4
40D 56. Nada 4
41D 57. Not fooled by 4
42D 58. Where the coffee and Wi-Fi might both be strong 4
43D 59. "At Last" singer James 4
44D 61. Adjoin 4
45D 63. Place to strike a pose? 3
46D 64. Seam contents 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Indian spice blend"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Low soccer score"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Food writer Molly"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Fifth Avenue store"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. W-9 fig."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. One method of sibling torture"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shoe with a wedge heel
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEDGIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Oscar-nominated singer/songwriter for "May It Be" (2001)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Like a used firepit"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of a light grey
  • Similar words include: ash-grey, ash-gray
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASHY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. What might give you a brewed awakening?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
  • Similar words include: teatime, Camellia sinensis, tea leaf
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Narrow kitchen"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the mediterranean for war and trading
  • Similar words include: cookhouse, caboose, ship's galley
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GALLEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Results of feuds"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a gap between cloud masses
  • Similar words include: severance, rift, breach
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIFTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Title for any male in the House of Saud"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an independent ruler or chieftain (especially in africa or arabia)
  • Similar words include: amir, ameer, emeer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Actor John who has granted more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Sportsbook calculation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
  • Similar words include: betting odds
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Make bubbly"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that expose to fresh air
  • Similar words include: air, air out, oxygenize
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AERATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "20. Created Yoda, he did"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states screenwriter and filmmaker (born in 1944)
  • Similar words include: George Lucas
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUCAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Brief letters?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that trademark for men's underwear
  • Similar words include: BVD's
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BVD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Fig. on a driver's license"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Unit of force"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of force equal to the force that imparts an acceleration of 1 cm/sec/sec to a mass of 1 gram
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DYNE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Energy-healing practice"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Fluctuate between normal singing and falsetto"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a songlike cry in which the voice fluctuates rapidly between the normal voice and falsetto
  • Similar words include: warble, descant
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YODEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Bit of concert merch"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the starting place for each hole on a golf course
  • Similar words include: football tee, tee up, teeing ground
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Show that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. About a third of an N.F.L. broadcast"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a public promotion of some product or service
  • Similar words include: ad, advertising, advertizing
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Highway behemoth"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of the two competitions in the next to the last round of an elimination tournament
  • Similar words include: trailer truck, tractor trailer, semitrailer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEMI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Fortune competitor"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to saddam hussein's government of iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of sunni and shiite arabs and kurds who hope to build a new government
  • Similar words include: Iraqi National Congress
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. 5.5 yards"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin implement made of metal or wood
  • Similar words include: gat, rod cell, retinal rod
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "40. Subject of astrobiology, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "41. Star quality"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
  • Similar words include: celebrity, renown
  • Opposite of: infamy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "42. Seattle N.H.L. team"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "44. April fool, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous plants of the genus capparis
  • Similar words include: gambol, capriole, job
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAPER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "45. Sixth word of the Gettysburg Address"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gone by; or in the past
  • Similar words include: agone
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "47. Throwing for a loop"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that disturb the composure of
  • Similar words include: unsettle, enervate, faze
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAZING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "48. Bulldog supporters"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "49. The moment of truth"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "50. "The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being ___": Mahatma Gandhi"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that pertaining to or concerned with the humanities
  • Similar words include: humanist, humanistic
  • Opposite of: inhumane
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUMANE

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37D: "51. Dons, as an apron"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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38D: "52. Really try to get"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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39D: "55. C-section reminder"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mark left (usually on the skin) by the healing of injured tissue
  • Similar words include: pit, cicatrice, scrape
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAR

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40D: "56. Nada"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a canonical hour that is the ninth hour of the day counting from sunrise
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NONE

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41D: "57. Not fooled by"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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42D: "58. Where the coffee and Wi-Fi might both be strong"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold
  • Similar words include: coffeehouse, coffee bar, coffee shop
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAFE

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43D: "59. "At Last" singer James"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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44D: "61. Adjoin"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
  • Similar words include: edge, butt on, border
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABUT

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45D: "63. Place to strike a pose?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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46D: "64. Seam contents"

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

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Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

Begin with fill-in-the-blank clues and short 3-4 letter words. These are your foundation.

Decode the Clues

Question marks indicate wordplay or puns. "Maybe" suggests multiple interpretations.

Use Cross-References

Let intersecting letters guide you. One correct answer unlocks several others.

Build Vocabulary

Common crossword words repeat. Learning them speeds up future solving.

Today's Puzzle Stats

39 Across Clues
46 Down Clues
85 Total Clues

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Last updated: January 15, 2026 at 04:25 AM