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Monday, June 29, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 29, 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. Not true 5
2A 6. N.Y.C. club that hosted Blondie and the Ramones 4
3A 10. "Scram!" 4
4A 14. Clientele 5
5A 15. BTS fandom 4
6A 16. Classic TV series with asterisks separating the letters of its name 4
7A 17. Screen addiction, e.g. 10
8A 19. Canyon call back 4
9A 20. Word after B or D 3
10A 21. Length x width, for a rectangle 4
11A 22. What food is at dinner 5
12A 23. Where boxers trade jabs 12
13A 26. Cocktail with gin and lime juice 6
14A 29. Word before cheese or uncle 3
15A 30. Hedonistic sort 4
16A 31. Medium-spicy chili peppers 9
17A 37. Clever chap 15
18A 40. Driving slowly in the fast lane and "replying all" to a mass email, for two 9
19A 41. Vishnu avatar 4
20A 42. "Now ___ seen everything" 3
21A 43. Snail's tentacle or butterfly's antenna 6
22A 45. Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Linus Pauling, Martin Luther King Jr. and so on 12
23A 51. Carne ___ (Mexican dish) 5
24A 52. Uncle's wife 4
25A 53. Long sandwich with cold cuts, maybe 3
26A 56. Bouquet holder 4
27A 57. "Meow, meow, meow!," e.g. 10
28A 60. Similar (to) 4
29A 61. Like a child in an amusement park 4
30A 62. "___, meenie, miney, mo" 5
31A 63. Young lady 4
32A 64. Author Morrison who is part of the 45-Across 4
33A 65. Puffs of perfume 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Not true"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
  • Similar words include: put on, fictitious, fictive
  • Opposite of: true
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FALSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. N.Y.C. club that hosted Blondie and the Ramones"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. "Scram!""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that singing jazz; the singer substitutes nonsense syllables for the words of the song and tries to sound like a musical instrument
  • Similar words include: scarper, scat singing, run
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Clientele"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who makes use of a thing; someone who uses or employs something
  • Similar words include: drug user, exploiter, user
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. BTS fandom"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
  • Similar words include: ground forces, U. S. Army, United States Army
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARMY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Classic TV series with asterisks separating the letters of its name"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mixture of mashed malt grains and hot water; used in brewing
  • Similar words include: romance, grind, crunch
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Screen addiction, e.g."

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Canyon call back"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
  • Similar words include: sound reflection, resound, ring
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ECHO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Word after B or D"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that time for earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
  • Similar words include: sidereal day, twenty-four hour period, Clarence Shepard Day Jr.
  • Opposite of: night
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Length x width, for a rectangle"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
  • Similar words include: domain, orbit, expanse
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. What food is at dinner"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take in solid food
  • Similar words include: wipe out, use up, consume
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EATEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Where boxers trade jabs"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Cocktail with gin and lime juice"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cocktail made of gin or vodka and lime juice
  • Similar words include: auger, screw auger, wimble
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GIMLET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Word before cheese or uncle"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the chance to speak
  • Similar words include: pronounce, suppose, allege
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Hedonistic sort"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dissolute man in fashionable society
  • Similar words include: rip, blood, rakehell
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Medium-spicy chili peppers"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that plant bearing very hot and finely tapering long peppers; usually red
  • Similar words include: long pepper, cayenne pepper, jalapeno pepper
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JALAPENOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "37. Clever chap"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "40. Driving slowly in the fast lane and "replying all" to a mass email, for two"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "41. Vishnu avatar"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that avatar of vishnu whose name is synonymous with god; any of three incarnations: ramachandra or parashurama or balarama
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. "Now ___ seen everything""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Snail's tentacle or butterfly's antenna"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of a pair of mobile appendages on the head of e.g. insects and crustaceans; typically sensitive to touch and taste
  • Similar words include: antenna, approach, advance
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEELER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Linus Pauling, Martin Luther King Jr. and so on"

12 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "51. Carne ___ (Mexican dish)"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "52. Uncle's wife"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
  • Similar words include: auntie, aunty
  • Opposite of: uncle
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "53. Long sandwich with cold cuts, maybe"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the united states
  • Similar words include: Italian sandwich, U-boat, hoagie
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "56. Bouquet holder"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an open jar of glass or porcelain used as an ornament or to hold flowers
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "57. "Meow, meow, meow!," e.g."

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "60. Similar (to)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that similar in quality or character
  • Similar words include: kindred, consanguineal, kin
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AKIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "61. Like a child in an amusement park"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that highly excited
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "62. "___, meenie, miney, mo""

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "63. Young lady"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "64. Author Morrison who is part of the 45-Across"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "65. Puffs of perfume"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thin fog with condensation near the ground
  • Similar words include: obscure, haze over, cloud
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Elmer who hunts "wabbits" 4
2D 2. On the ocean 4
3D 3. Impose, as a tax 4
4D 4. ___ Lanka 3
5D 5. Make a break from jail 6
6D 6. Spelunker 5
7D 7. Thorny patch 5
8D 8. Big inits. in pickup trucks and vans 3
9D 9. "Ta-ta!" 3
10D 10. Spread, as cream cheese 5
11D 11. Saguaros, e.g. 5
12D 12. Pale 5
13D 13. Underwear that's barely there 5
14D 18. The "E" in Q.E.D. 4
15D 22. Home to the Sphinx 5
16D 23. A quarter or more of one's life, typically 5
17D 24. Majorca and Minorca 5
18D 25. Indian bread 4
19D 26. Rubbery part of a handlebar 4
20D 27. Actress Skye 4
21D 28. Mixed-breed dog 4
22D 31. Talks in an unserious way 5
23D 32. What wines and cheeses do over time 3
24D 33. Wading bird 5
25D 34. Novelist Stephenson 4
26D 35. "My treat!" 4
27D 36. One of seven in the Big Dipper 4
28D 38. Woman's name meaning "night" 5
29D 39. ___ Strauss & Co. 4
30D 43. "Adventures of Huckleberry ___" 4
31D 44. Regard 6
32D 45. Like the force of an armada 5
33D 46. Home to Universal Studios Japan 5
34D 47. On a need-to-know ___ 5
35D 48. Utopias 5
36D 49. Claw 5
37D 50. One of the Super Mario brothers 5
38D 53. Pride and gluttony, for two 4
39D 54. Amount of work on a college transcript 4
40D 55. Drones, e.g. 4
41D 57. What puts the sizzle in bacon 3
42D 58. Freudian "I" 3
43D 59. Floral necklace 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Elmer who hunts "wabbits""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. On the ocean"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in the direction of the sea
  • Similar words include: seawards, seaward
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Impose, as a tax"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a charge imposed and collected
  • Similar words include: raise, levy en masse, impose
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEVY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. ___ Lanka"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Make a break from jail"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of escaping physically
  • Similar words include: outflow, flight, escape cock
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESCAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Spelunker"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Thorny patch"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that eurasian rose with prickly stems and fragrant leaves and bright pink flowers followed by scarlet hips
  • Similar words include: Rosa eglanteria, tree heath, sweetbrier
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRIAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Big inits. in pickup trucks and vans"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. "Ta-ta!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that you advance to the next round in a tournament without playing an opponent
  • Similar words include: arrivederci, good-by, good day
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BYE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Spread, as cream cheese"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that slanderous defamation
  • Similar words include: slur, blur, spot
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Saguaros, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any succulent plant of the family cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the new world and usually having spines
  • Similar words include: cactus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CACTI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Pale"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that anemic looking from illness or emotion; ; ; ; ; - mary w. shelley
  • Similar words include: white, bloodless, blanched
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASHEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Underwear that's barely there"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip
  • Similar words include: G-string, flip-flop, lash
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THONG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. The "E" in Q.E.D."

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Home to the Sphinx"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in northeastern africa known as the united arab republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 bc
  • Similar words include: Egyptian Empire, United Arab Republic, Arab Republic of Egypt
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGYPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. A quarter or more of one's life, typically"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
  • Similar words include: sopor, quietus, catch some Z's
  • Opposite of: wake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEEP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Majorca and Minorca"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small island
  • Similar words include: isle, islet
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "25. Indian bread"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that leavened bread baked in a clay oven in india; usually shaped like a teardrop
  • Similar words include: nan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "26. Rubbery part of a handlebar"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of grasping
  • Similar words include: hold, suitcase, travelling bag
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "27. Actress Skye"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "28. Mixed-breed dog"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inferior dog or one of mixed breed
  • Similar words include: mongrel, cur
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MUTT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. Talks in an unserious way"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz
  • Similar words include: swing, jive, swing music
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JIVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. What wines and cheeses do over time"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that how long something has existed
  • Similar words include: mature, years, long time
  • Opposite of: rejuvenate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "33. Wading bird"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various usually white herons having long plumes during breeding season
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGRET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "34. Novelist Stephenson"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "35. "My treat!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "36. One of seven in the Big Dipper"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
  • Similar words include: maven, virtuoso, wiz
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "38. Woman's name meaning "night""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "39. ___ Strauss & Co."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (new testament) disciple of jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first gospel
  • Similar words include: Saint Matthew the Apostle, St. Matthew the Apostle, St. Matthew
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEVI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "43. "Adventures of Huckleberry ___""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of finland
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FINN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "44. Regard"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)
  • Similar words include: respect, prize, repute
  • Opposite of: disrespect, disesteem
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESTEEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "45. Like the force of an armada"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that connected with or belonging to or used in a navy
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAVAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "46. Home to Universal Studios Japan"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that port city on southern honshu on osaka bay; a commercial and industrial center of japan
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSAKA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "47. On a need-to-know ___"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a relation that provides the foundation for something
  • Similar words include: fundament, foundation, groundwork
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "48. Utopias"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
  • Similar words include: paradise, heaven, Eden
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "49. Claw"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TALON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "50. One of the Super Mario brothers"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "53. Pride and gluttony, for two"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that estrangement from god
  • Similar words include: wickedness, sinfulness, sin
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "54. Amount of work on a college transcript"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange
  • Similar words include: building block, unit of measurement, social unit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "55. Drones, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
  • Similar words include: personify, equal, follow
  • Opposite of: differ
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "57. What puts the sizzle in bacon"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue and consisting of a mixture of lipids (mostly triglycerides)
  • Similar words include: fatty tissue, fatten, fatten out
  • Opposite of: thin, nonfat
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "58. Freudian "I""

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, egotism, self
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "59. Floral necklace"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
  • Similar words include: leu, chaplet, wreath
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEI

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

33 Across Clues
43 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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

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

Last updated: June 29, 2026 at 08:31 AM

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 17, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Medium

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Like Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, some say 7
2A 8. App brought back by Microsoft in 2024 3
3A 11. Swear 4
4A 15. Disney film set in a fictional Colombian village 7
5A 16. BEFORE (Deck 1): Slackers 8
6A 18. Celebrity 7
7A 19. Fast-paced scam, such as the shell game 8
8A 20. BEFORE (Deck 2): PlayStation and Switch 8
9A 22. Laterite, for example 3
10A 23. Folkie DiFranco 3
11A 24. Chills 5
12A 26. "___ Recall" (1990 sci-fi film) 5
13A 31. Jay who hosted the 2020s revival of "You Bet Your Life" 4
14A 33. Wild European rabbit in Australia, e.g. 4
15A 36. Beer buy 4
16A 37. Join tightly 4
17A 41. BEFORE (Deck 3): Quarry 8
18A 43. Casino maneuvers carried out three times in this puzzle? 14
19A 46. AFTER (Deck 3): Crucial moment in a tennis match 8
20A 47. Osso ___ (veal dish) 4
21A 48. "The Emperor's New Groove" setting 4
22A 49. Blond, but not really 4
23A 51. Many a discovery in the Valley of the Kings 4
24A 55. Visit by plane 5
25A 57. ___ With Friends 5
26A 61. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" 3
27A 62. Telepathy, e.g. 3
28A 65. AFTER (Deck 2): Noted quality of the Fonz 8
29A 67. Geraldo Rivera uncovered his "vaults" on live TV 8
30A 72. "___ the Day" (Thomas Pynchon's longest novel) 7
31A 73. AFTER (Deck 1): Slackers 8
32A 74. Was up the river 7
33A 75. Awards achievement reached in 2026 by Steven Spielberg 4
34A 76. Outdo 3
35A 77. Rival of a Raven 7

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Like Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, some say"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cast an actor, singer, or dancer in an unsuitable role
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISCAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "8. App brought back by Microsoft in 2024"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Swear"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a persistently annoying person
  • Similar words include: pest, feller, swearword
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. Disney film set in a fictional Colombian village"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. BEFORE (Deck 1): Slackers"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. Celebrity"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the status of being acknowledged as a star
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STARDOM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. Fast-paced scam, such as the shell game"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. BEFORE (Deck 2): PlayStation and Switch"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small table fixed to a wall or designed to stand against a wall
  • Similar words include: cabinet, solace, console table
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CONSOLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Laterite, for example"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Folkie DiFranco"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that black tropical american cuckoo
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Chills"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something left after other parts have been taken away
  • Similar words include: roost, residue, stay
  • Opposite of: change, be active
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. "___ Recall" (1990 sci-fi film)"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the whole amount
  • Similar words include: summate, add together, tot
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOTAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "31. Jay who hosted the 2020s revival of "You Bet Your Life""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "33. Wild European rabbit in Australia, e.g."

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "36. Beer buy"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "37. Join tightly"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an electrical device that can interrupt the flow of electrical current when it is overloaded
  • Similar words include: commingle, flux, fuze
  • Opposite of: defuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "41. BEFORE (Deck 3): Quarry"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "43. Casino maneuvers carried out three times in this puzzle?"

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "46. AFTER (Deck 3): Crucial moment in a tennis match"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "47. Osso ___ (veal dish)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "48. "The Emperor's New Groove" setting"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in western south america; achieved independence from spain in 1821; was the heart of the inca empire from the 12th to 16th centuries
  • Similar words include: Republic of Peru
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PERU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "49. Blond, but not really"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that color with dye
  • Similar words include: bleached, colored, dye
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DYED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "51. Many a discovery in the Valley of the Kings"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
  • Similar words include: grave
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOMB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "55. Visit by plane"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "57. ___ With Friends"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the words that are spoken
  • Similar words include: quarrel, password, give-and-take
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WORDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "61. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "62. Telepathy, e.g."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

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!

28A: "65. AFTER (Deck 2): Noted quality of the Fonz"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that calm and unruffled self-assurance
  • Similar words include: iciness, imperturbableness, chilliness
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COOLNESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "67. Geraldo Rivera uncovered his "vaults" on live TV"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "72. "___ the Day" (Thomas Pynchon's longest novel)"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "73. AFTER (Deck 1): Slackers"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "74. Was up the river"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "75. Awards achievement reached in 2026 by Steven Spielberg"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "76. Outdo"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the upper part of anything
  • Similar words include: summit, meridian, spinning top
  • Opposite of: bottom
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "77. Rival of a Raven"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Paul who played William Shakespeare in "Hamnet" 6
2D 2. Vocalize 6
3D 3. Digitize, as a document 6
4D 4. "Just What I Needed" band, with "the" 4
5D 5. Disney+ series whose name sounds like a compound conjunction 5
6D 6. Got via the "five-finger discount" 5
7D 7. "The Complete Works of ..." books, say 5
8D 8. Booker T.'s backing band 3
9D 9. Neighborhood mentioned in "Werewolves of London" 4
10D 10. Former queen of Jordan 4
11D 11. Portable bed 3
12D 12. Mixed martial arts org. 3
13D 13. Bay Area airport code 3
14D 14. ID thief's target: Abbr. 3
15D 17. Instrument ridge 4
16D 21. Valvoline rival 3
17D 25. Gathering, informally 4
18D 27. Cat that's spotted in South America 6
19D 28. It's on a roll 4
20D 29. Sale caveat 4
21D 30. Permitted to 3
22D 32. Repelled 6
23D 34. Scrapbook keepsake 4
24D 35. Popcorn ___ (fried vegan treat) 4
25D 38. Subject of a declassified Pentagon document, in brief 3
26D 39. Averted a tag, maybe 4
27D 40. Start of a counting-out rhyme 4
28D 42. Lions and Bears are in it, in brief 3
29D 43. Stagger 4
30D 44. "Hey, doing my best" 4
31D 45. Goulash, e.g. 4
32D 46. UV blockage fig. 3
33D 50. Medical moniker 3
34D 52. Final score of at least 10% of professional soccer matches 6
35D 53. "Glad I'm back?" 6
36D 54. Thanksgiving kitchen tool 6
37D 56. Research for a political hit, slangily 4
38D 58. Map lines 5
39D 59. Give minimum effort 5
40D 60. British glam rock band of the 1970s 5
41D 63. Lenient 4
42D 64. 411 4
43D 66. TV's Nick at ___ 4
44D 67. Gray, say 3
45D 68. Record 3
46D 69. Bill's partner 3
47D 70. Back at sea 3
48D 71. "Ability" that's hard to believe, for short 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Paul who played William Shakespeare in "Hamnet""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small spineless globe-shaped cactus; source of mescal buttons
  • Similar words include: peyote, mezcal, Lophophora williamsii
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MESCAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Vocalize"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically
  • Similar words include: cantillate, intonate, chant
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INTONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Digitize, as a document"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. "Just What I Needed" band, with "the""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
  • Similar words include: motorcar, elevator car, railcar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Disney+ series whose name sounds like a compound conjunction"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Got via the "five-finger discount""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
  • Similar words include: steal, slip
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "The Complete Works of ..." books, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a (usually) large and scholarly book
  • Similar words include: tome
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Booker T.'s backing band"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one thousandth (1/1,000) gram
  • Similar words include: milligram, magnesium, Mg
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Neighborhood mentioned in "Werewolves of London""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a district in southwestern manhattan noted for its shops and restaurants and galleries and artist's lofts
  • Similar words include: South of Houston
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOHO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Former queen of Jordan"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Portable bed"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sheath worn to protect a finger
  • Similar words include: fingerstall, camp bed, crib
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Mixed martial arts org."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Bay Area airport code"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. ID thief's target: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "17. Instrument ridge"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that agitation resulting from active worry
  • Similar words include: Greek key, stew, choke
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "21. Valvoline rival"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard temperature and pressure
  • Similar words include: s.t.p.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Gathering, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Cat that's spotted in South America"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nocturnal wildcat of central america and south america having a dark-spotted buff-brown coat
  • Similar words include: Felis pardalis, panther cat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCELOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. It's on a roll"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Sale caveat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Permitted to"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a brutal terrorist group active in kashmir; fights against india with the goal of restoring islamic rule of india
  • Similar words include: allow, countenance, get
  • Opposite of: disallow, prevent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Repelled"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. Scrapbook keepsake"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short piece remaining on a trunk or stem where a branch is lost
  • Similar words include: ticket stub, nub, check stub
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Popcorn ___ (fried vegan treat)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cheeselike food made of curdled soybean milk
  • Similar words include: bean curd
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOFU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Subject of a declassified Pentagon document, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an (apparently) flying object whose nature is unknown; especially those considered to have extraterrestrial origins
  • Similar words include: flying saucer, unidentified flying object
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UFO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Averted a tag, maybe"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
  • Similar words include: slew, slue, slither
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Start of a counting-out rhyme"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Lions and Bears are in it, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "43. Stagger"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector
  • Similar words include: stagger, whirl, swag
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. "Hey, doing my best""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "45. Goulash, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that agitation resulting from active worry
  • Similar words include: swither, fret, sweat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "46. UV blockage fig."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the degree to which a sunscreen protects the skin from the direct rays of the sun
  • Similar words include: sun protection factor
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Medical moniker"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a licensed medical practitioner
  • Similar words include: MD, Commerce, medico
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Final score of at least 10% of professional soccer matches"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. "Glad I'm back?""

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "54. Thanksgiving kitchen tool"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cook who bastes roasting meat with melted fat or gravy
  • Similar words include: tacker
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Research for a political hit, slangily"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Map lines"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a partly sheltered anchorage
  • Similar words include: road, route, roadstead
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Give minimum effort"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. British glam rock band of the 1970s"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "63. Lenient"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that yielding readily to pressure or weight
  • Similar words include: diffused, easy, gentle
  • Opposite of: hard, forte
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFT

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42D: "64. 411"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a message received and understood
  • Similar words include: information
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INFO

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43D: "66. TV's Nick at ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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44D: "67. Gray, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that how long something has existed
  • Similar words include: historic period, years, maturate
  • Opposite of: rejuvenate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGE

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45D: "68. Record"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
  • Similar words include: lumber, logarithm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOG

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46D: "69. Bill's partner"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a pigeon
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COO

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47D: "70. Back at sea"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (nautical, aeronautical) situated at or toward the stern or tail
  • Similar words include: abaft, astern
  • Opposite of: fore
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFT

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48D: "71. "Ability" that's hard to believe, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that apparent power to perceive things that are not present to the senses
  • Similar words include: clairvoyance, extrasensory perception, E.S.P.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESP

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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

35 Across Clues
48 Down Clues
83 Total Clues

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Last updated: June 17, 2026 at 08:40 AM