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
- Across Clues Table (61 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (79 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Moderate
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. Crafty sort | 7 |
| 2A | 8. Vegetables that should typically be sliced lengthwise before washing | 5 |
| 3A | 13. Cowboy on the pampas | 6 |
| 4A | 19. "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" sculptor | 7 |
| 5A | 20. Supplement | 6 |
| 6A | 22. Get in on the game | 6 |
| 7A | 23. Scrunchie, e.g. | 14 |
| 8A | 25. "Oh, cruel fate!" | 6 |
| 9A | 26. Autocorrect target | 4 |
| 10A | 27. Classification | 4 |
| 11A | 28. Sports franchises, e.g. | 5 |
| 12A | 30. Fine-grained wood in some woodwind instruments | 4 |
| 13A | 31. Social norms | 5 |
| 14A | 34. Wizard of ___ Park (Thomas Edison nickname) | 5 |
| 15A | 35. Disney heroine based on New Orleans chef Leah Chase | 5 |
| 16A | 36. USA, e.g. | 7 |
| 17A | 39. Title for William beginning in 2022 | 13 |
| 18A | 42. Hawk homes | 6 |
| 19A | 43. In view | 4 |
| 20A | 44. Money in rock 'n' roll | 5 |
| 21A | 45. Nonprofit group behind Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog | 12 |
| 22A | 48. Patron of sailors | 6 |
| 23A | 52. Work with a needle | 3 |
| 24A | 53. Position in basketball | 5 |
| 25A | 54. ___ Kippur | 3 |
| 26A | 57. Looks through someone's phone, say | 6 |
| 27A | 59. Pointers for a fencer? | 5 |
| 28A | 61. Slacken | 6 |
| 29A | 64. [Bo-o-oring!] | 5 |
| 30A | 65. Pop, to a tot | 4 |
| 31A | 67. Explicit command | 11 |
| 32A | 71. One-named singer with four Grammys | 4 |
| 33A | 72. Relative of a heron | 5 |
| 34A | 74. Sirenlike | 6 |
| 35A | 75. What a sad person might break into | 5 |
| 36A | 77. 1987 Dreyfuss/DeVito comedy | 6 |
| 37A | 79. "!!!" | 3 |
| 38A | 80. Philosopher Kierkegaard | 5 |
| 39A | 82. Dig up dirt? | 3 |
| 40A | 85. It typically has a string attached | 6 |
| 41A | 87. Bright shade similar to magenta | 12 |
| 42A | 91. "Things Fall ___" (Chinua Achebe novel) | 5 |
| 43A | 94. "Oh, cruel fate!" | 4 |
| 44A | 95. Canadian coin featuring a polar bear, informally | 6 |
| 45A | 96. Margaret Atwood novel with a love triangle involving a paleontologist | 13 |
| 46A | 101. Weasel relatives | 7 |
| 47A | 102. A water molecule contains three of these | 5 |
| 48A | 103. Vexillologist's subject | 5 |
| 49A | 104. Stone measure | 5 |
| 50A | 105. Explorer with her monkey friend Boots | 4 |
| 51A | 106. Bud of baseball | 5 |
| 52A | 107. What Excedrin relieves | 4 |
| 53A | 109. Strawberry ___ Refresher (Starbucks drink) | 4 |
| 54A | 113. Stir up | 6 |
| 55A | 115. Hit reality TV series suggested by this puzzle's groups of circled letters | 14 |
| 56A | 119. Place for a shoelace | 6 |
| 57A | 120. Manning with two Super Bowl rings | 6 |
| 58A | 121. "You can count on me!" | 7 |
| 59A | 122. Talks back to | 6 |
| 60A | 123. Witherspoon of "Legally Blonde" | 5 |
| 61A | 124. Patronized, as a restaurant | 7 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Crafty sort"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
- Similar words include: artificer, craftsman, journeyman
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARTISAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "8. Vegetables that should typically be sliced lengthwise before washing"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that plant having a large slender white bulb and flat overlapping dark green leaves; used in cooking; believed derived from the wild allium ampeloprasum
- Similar words include: scallion, Allium porrum, leek
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEEKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3A: "13. Cowboy on the pampas"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a cowboy of the south american pampas
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAUCHO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4A: "19. "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" sculptor"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that italian sculptor and architect of the baroque period in italy; designed many churches and chapels and tombs and fountains (1598-1680)
- Similar words include: Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BERNINI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5A: "20. Supplement"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that make better or improve in quality
- Opposite of: impoverish, deprive
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENRICH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "22. Get in on the game"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTEUP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "23. Scrunchie, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELASTICHAIRTIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8A: "25. "Oh, cruel fate!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POORME
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "26. Autocorrect target"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind
- Similar words include: erratum, typographical error, misprint
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TYPO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "27. Classification"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
- Similar words include: sort, variety, tolerant
- Opposite of: unkind
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KIND
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "28. Sports franchises, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
- Similar words include: team up, team, squad
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEAMS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "30. Fine-grained wood in some woodwind instruments"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
- Similar words include: pear tree, Pyrus communis
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "31. Social norms"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (sociology) the conventions that embody the fundamental values of a group
- Similar words include: Sir Thomas More, Thomas More, More
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "34. Wizard of ___ Park (Thomas Edison nickname)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENLO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "35. Disney heroine based on New Orleans chef Leah Chase"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIANA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "36. USA, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a path over which electrical signals can pass
- Similar words include: line, distribution channel, canal
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHANNEL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17A: "39. Title for William beginning in 2022"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRINCEOFWALES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18A: "42. Hawk homes"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the lofty nest of a bird of prey (such as a hawk or eagle)
- Similar words include: eyry, eyrie, aerie
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AERIES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "43. In view"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
- Similar words include: picture, date, view
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "44. Money in rock 'n' roll"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDDIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "45. Nonprofit group behind Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THEADCOUNCIL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "48. Patron of sailors"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STELMO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "52. Work with a needle"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that fasten by sewing; do needlework
- Similar words include: tailor, sew together, run up
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "53. Position in basketball"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a person who keeps watch over something or someone
- Similar words include: safeguard, safety device, hold
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GUARD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "54. ___ Kippur"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YOM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "57. Looks through someone's phone, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a spy who makes uninvited inquiries into the private affairs of others
- Similar words include: sleuth, snooper, spy
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOOPS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "59. Pointers for a fencer?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fencing sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade
- Similar words include: epee
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPEES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "61. Slacken"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASEUP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "64. [Bo-o-oring!]"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the rattling noise produced when snoring
- Similar words include: saw wood, snoring, saw logs
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNORE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "65. Pop, to a tot"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
- Similar words include: pappa, dadaism, pop
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DADA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "67. Explicit command"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIRECTORDER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32A: "71. One-named singer with four Grammys"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENYA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "72. Relative of a heron"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that large mostly old world wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STORK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34A: "74. Sirenlike"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that utter a shrill cry
- Similar words include: pipe, pipe up, sharp
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHRILL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35A: "75. What a sad person might break into"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
- Similar words include: bout, shoot down, displume
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEARS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
36A: "77. 1987 Dreyfuss/DeVito comedy"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TINMEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
37A: "79. "!!!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
38A: "80. Philosopher Kierkegaard"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOREN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
39A: "82. Dig up dirt?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a tool with a flat blade attached at right angles to a long handle
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
40A: "85. It typically has a string attached"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEABAG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
41A: "87. Bright shade similar to magenta"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOCKINGPINK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
42A: "91. "Things Fall ___" (Chinua Achebe novel)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that remote and separate physically or socially; ; - w.h.hudson
- Similar words include: isolated, obscure, aside
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APART
Remember this word for future puzzles!
43A: "94. "Oh, cruel fate!""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism
- Similar words include: regrettably, unfortunately, ala
- Opposite of: luckily, fortunately
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
44A: "95. Canadian coin featuring a polar bear, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOONIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
45A: "96. Margaret Atwood novel with a love triangle involving a paleontologist"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIFEBEFOREMAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
46A: "101. Weasel relatives"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that musteline mammal of prairie regions of united states; nearly extinct
- Similar words include: black-footed ferret, ferret out, Mustela nigripes
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FERRETS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
47A: "102. A water molecule contains three of these"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
- Similar words include: mote, speck, corpuscle
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATOMS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
48A: "103. Vexillologist's subject"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
- Similar words include: flag, iris, masthead
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLAGS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
49A: "104. Stone measure"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a unit of weight for precious stones = 200 mg
- Similar words include: kt, karat
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
50A: "105. Explorer with her monkey friend Boots"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DORA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
51A: "106. Bud of baseball"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SELIG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
52A: "107. What Excedrin relieves"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
- Similar words include: infliction, hurt, pain in the neck
- Opposite of: pleasure
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
53A: "109. Strawberry ___ Refresher (Starbucks drink)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACAI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
54A: "113. Stir up"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that give an incentive for action
- Similar words include: prod, prompt, egg on
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCITE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
55A: "115. Hit reality TV series suggested by this puzzle's groups of circled letters"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNDERCOVERBOSS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
56A: "119. Place for a shoelace"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small hole (usually round and finished around the edges) in cloth or leather for the passage of a cord or hook or bar
- Similar words include: eyehole, grommet, grummet
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYELET
Remember this word for future puzzles!
57A: "120. Manning with two Super Bowl rings"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEYTON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
58A: "121. "You can count on me!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMALLIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
59A: "122. Talks back to"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an impudent or insolent rejoinder
- Similar words include: mouth, back talk, sass
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SASSES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
60A: "123. Witherspoon of "Legally Blonde""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REESE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
61A: "124. Patronized, as a restaurant"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DINEDAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Words on either side of "___ is ___" | 4 |
| 2D | 2. Bank (on) | 4 |
| 3D | 3. Sting operation | 4 |
| 4D | 4. Trouble with Z's? | 8 |
| 5D | 5. Take a load off | 3 |
| 6D | 6. Singer DiFranco who created Righteous Babe Records | 3 |
| 7D | 7. Small change | 6 |
| 8D | 8. Tilt | 4 |
| 9D | 9. Werewolf on TV's "Wednesday" | 4 |
| 10D | 10. Slip up | 3 |
| 11D | 11. Wee mewer | 6 |
| 12D | 12. Prestigious academic journal since 1880 | 7 |
| 13D | 13. Résumé problems, at times | 4 |
| 14D | 14. 365 dÃas | 3 |
| 15D | 15. More ideal? | 6 |
| 16D | 16. Trix or Kix | 6 |
| 17D | 17. ___ society | 6 |
| 18D | 18. Performances at Paris's Palais Garnier | 6 |
| 19D | 21. Well again | 6 |
| 20D | 24. Quick hellos | 3 |
| 21D | 29. Vibes | 5 |
| 22D | 32. Jumpy | 6 |
| 23D | 33. What many a shelter animal hopes to be | 7 |
| 24D | 34. BMW offering since 2000 | 4 |
| 25D | 35. Many boy band fans | 6 |
| 26D | 36. 2019 film that one reviewer called "purr-fectly dreadful" | 4 |
| 27D | 37. Villainous chortle | 4 |
| 28D | 38. "Can I go now?" | 9 |
| 29D | 39. Await settlement, as a payment | 4 |
| 30D | 40. Partner of Parks, informally | 3 |
| 31D | 41. Goes well with | 4 |
| 32D | 43. California's Big ___ | 3 |
| 33D | 46. Band with the 1995 hit "Wonderwall" | 5 |
| 34D | 47. Clorox competitor | 5 |
| 35D | 49. Individualist | 5 |
| 36D | 50. Drink from a tub? | 9 |
| 37D | 51. Concert broadcast that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025, with "the" | 4 |
| 38D | 55. The Who's "Love, Reign ___ Me" | 3 |
| 39D | 56. Makeup of some face masks | 3 |
| 40D | 58. Vast amount | 3 |
| 41D | 60. Italian city known for its cheese | 5 |
| 42D | 61. Vapes | 5 |
| 43D | 62. Georgia airport, for short | 3 |
| 44D | 63. ___ dish | 5 |
| 45D | 65. Annual reason for lost sleep: Abbr. | 3 |
| 46D | 66. Fighting | 4 |
| 47D | 68. Pi follower | 3 |
| 48D | 69. "Uhh ...," to Brits | 3 |
| 49D | 70. Come back in | 7 |
| 50D | 73. Alternatives to gyro platters | 6 |
| 51D | 76. Variety of rabbit or goat | 6 |
| 52D | 78. What a tall collar covers | 4 |
| 53D | 80. Read quickly | 4 |
| 54D | 81. Gives the green light | 3 |
| 55D | 83. "I've got this" | 4 |
| 56D | 84. Barely scrapes (by) | 4 |
| 57D | 86. Social blunder | 5 |
| 58D | 88. Amateur radio devotees | 4 |
| 59D | 89. Greeting in Brazil | 3 |
| 60D | 90. Easily moved | 8 |
| 61D | 92. Arrive by car | 6 |
| 62D | 93. Gym staff member | 7 |
| 63D | 96. Set of nine dancing in "The 12 Days of Christmas" | 6 |
| 64D | 97. 2017 figure skating biopic | 6 |
| 65D | 98. Compels | 6 |
| 66D | 99. Things that typically build up during vacation | 6 |
| 67D | 100. Easter purchase | 6 |
| 68D | 101. Social media tribute to a celeb, say | 6 |
| 69D | 104. Tech company exec | 3 |
| 70D | 106. Hollywood workplaces | 4 |
| 71D | 107. Major-leaguers | 4 |
| 72D | 108. Something hard to face? | 4 |
| 73D | 110. Small bug? | 4 |
| 74D | 111. ___ Minor | 4 |
| 75D | 112. Stevie Wonder's "___ She Lovely" | 4 |
| 76D | 114. Vex, with "off" | 3 |
| 77D | 116. Summer on the Riviera | 3 |
| 78D | 117. Onetime parent co. of Virgin Records | 3 |
| 79D | 118. Led | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Words on either side of "___ is ___""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABET
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Bank (on)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that have confidence or faith in
- Similar words include: swear, bank, trust
- Opposite of: mistrust
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RELY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Sting operation"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
- Similar words include: ambuscade, sand trap, pin down
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRAP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Trouble with Z's?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an inability to sleep; chronic sleeplessness
- Opposite of: hypersomnia
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INSOMNIA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Take a load off"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that be around, often idly or without specific purpose
- Similar words include: sit around, model, seat
- Opposite of: stand, arise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Singer DiFranco who created Righteous Babe Records"
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!
7D: "7. Small change"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite
- Similar words include: atomic number 28, Ni, nickel note
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NICKEL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Tilt"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical
- Similar words include: inclination, tend, incline
- Opposite of: fat, rich
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. Werewolf on TV's "Wednesday""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a town in north central oklahoma
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENID
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Slip up"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that to make a mistake or be incorrect
- Similar words include: drift, stray, slip
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. Wee mewer"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that young domestic cat
- Similar words include: kitty
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KITTEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Prestigious academic journal since 1880"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a particular branch of scientific knowledge
- Similar words include: skill, scientific discipline
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCIENCE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. Résumé problems, at times"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures
- Similar words include: break, disruption, crack
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAPS
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14D: "14. 365 dÃas"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a palestinian international terrorist organization that split from the plo in 1974; has conducted terrorist attacks in 20 countries
- Similar words include: Fatah Revolutionary Council, Fatah-RC, Arab Revolutionary Brigades
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANO
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15D: "15. More ideal?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a book written by sir thomas more (1516) describing the perfect society on an imaginary island
- Similar words include: Sion, Zion
- Opposite of: dystopia
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTOPIA
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16D: "16. Trix or Kix"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that grass whose starchy grains are used as food: wheat; rice; rye; oats; maize; buckwheat; millet
- Similar words include: cereal grass, grain, food grain
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CEREAL
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17D: "17. ___ society"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that pertaining to or concerned with the humanities
- Similar words include: humanistic, humanist
- Opposite of: inhumane
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUMANE
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18D: "18. Performances at Paris's Palais Garnier"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
- Similar words include: Opera, opera house, opera
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPERAS
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19D: "21. Well again"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that heal or recover
- Similar words include: cure, cured, bring around
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEALED
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20D: "24. Quick hellos"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIS
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21D: "29. Vibes"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
- Similar words include: humour, climate, humor
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOODS
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22D: "32. Jumpy"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONEDGE
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23D: "33. What many a shelter animal hopes to be"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that free from harm or evil
- Similar words include: reclaimed, deliver, rescue
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESCUED
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24D: "34. BMW offering since 2000"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a very short skirt
- Similar words include: miniskirt
- Opposite of: midi
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINI
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25D: "35. Many boy band fans"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWEENS
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26D: "36. 2019 film that one reviewer called "purr-fectly dreadful""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
- Similar words include: hombre, computed tomography, true cat
- Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CATS
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27D: "37. Villainous chortle"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEHE
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28D: "38. "Can I go now?""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREWEDONE
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29D: "39. Await settlement, as a payment"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEND
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30D: "40. Partner of Parks, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REC
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31D: "41. Goes well with"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a display of bad temper
- Similar words include: equip, paroxysm, tantrum
- Opposite of: disagree
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FITS
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32D: "43. California's Big ___"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a port in southern lebanon on the mediterranean sea; formerly a major phoenician seaport famous for silks
- Similar words include: Tyre
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUR
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33D: "46. Band with the 1995 hit "Wonderwall""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
- Similar words include: haven
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OASIS
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34D: "47. Clorox competitor"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a clear oily brown solution of cresols in soap; used as an antiseptic and disinfectant
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LYSOL
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35D: "49. Individualist"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a person who avoids the company or assistance of others
- Similar words include: lone hand, lone wolf
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LONER
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36D: "50. Drink from a tub?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the light of the moon
- Similar words include: corn liquor, moonlight, bootleg
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOONSHINE
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37D: "51. Concert broadcast that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025, with "the""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPRY
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38D: "55. The Who's "Love, Reign ___ Me""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OER
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39D: "56. Makeup of some face masks"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that water soaked soil; soft wet earth
- Similar words include: mire, clay, muck up
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MUD
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40D: "58. Vast amount"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
- Similar words include: ocean
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEA
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41D: "60. Italian city known for its cheese"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARMA
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42D: "61. Vapes"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ECIGS
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43D: "62. Georgia airport, for short"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATL
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44D: "63. ___ dish"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PETRI
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45D: "65. Annual reason for lost sleep: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DST
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46D: "66. Fighting"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATIT
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47D: "68. Pi follower"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the 17th letter of the greek alphabet
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RHO
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48D: "69. "Uhh ...," to Brits"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERM
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49D: "70. Come back in"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REENTER
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50D: "73. Alternatives to gyro platters"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables
- Similar words include: kabob, shish kebab, kebab
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEBABS
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51D: "76. Variety of rabbit or goat"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the capital of turkey; located in west-central turkey; it was formerly known as angora and is the home of angora goats
- Similar words include: Angora cat, Angora goat, Angora rabbit
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANGORA
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52D: "78. What a tall collar covers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the back side of the neck
- Similar words include: scruff, nucha
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAPE
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53D: "80. Read quickly"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the act of scanning; systematic examination of a prescribed region
- Similar words include: glance over, skim, rake
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAN
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54D: "81. Gives the green light"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a state in south central united states
- Similar words include: OK, okey, O.K.
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OKS
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55D: "83. "I've got this""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONIT
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56D: "84. Barely scrapes (by)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EKES
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57D: "86. Social blunder"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a socially awkward or tactless act
- Similar words include: gaucherie, slip, solecism
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAFFE
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58D: "88. Amateur radio devotees"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
- Similar words include: Ham, jambon, overact
- Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAMS
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59D: "89. Greeting in Brazil"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in india for writing paper
- Similar words include: olla
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLA
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60D: "90. Easily moved"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small light typewriter; usually with a case in which it can be carried
- Opposite of: unportable
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PORTABLE
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61D: "92. Arrive by car"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROLLUP
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62D: "93. Gym staff member"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that one who trains other persons or animals
- Similar words include: flight simulator
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRAINER
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63D: "96. Set of nine dancing in "The 12 Days of Christmas""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a polite name for any woman
- Similar words include: dame, peeress, noblewoman
- Opposite of: Lord, nobleman
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LADIES
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64D: "97. 2017 figure skating biopic"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITONYA
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65D: "98. Compels"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a powerful effect or influence
- Similar words include: force play, storm, personnel
- Opposite of: pull, push
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORCES
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66D: "99. Things that typically build up during vacation"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (computer science) a system of world-wide electronic communication in which a computer user can compose a message at one terminal that can be regenerated at the recipient's terminal when the recipient logs in
- Similar words include: netmail, e-mail, electronic mail
- Opposite of: snail mail
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMAILS
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67D: "100. Easter purchase"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGGDYE
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68D: "101. Social media tribute to a celeb, say"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FANVID
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69D: "104. Tech company exec"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a federation of north american industrial unions that merged with the american federation of labor in 1955
- Similar words include: Congress of Industrial Organizations
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIO
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70D: "106. Hollywood workplaces"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
- Similar words include: band, position, lay
- Opposite of: rise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETS
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71D: "107. Major-leaguers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an athlete who plays for pay
- Similar words include: pro, professional
- Opposite of: amateur, con
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROS
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72D: "108. Something hard to face?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an inflammatory disease involving the sebaceous glands of the skin; characterized by papules or pustules or comedones
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACNE
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73D: "110. Small bug?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs)
- Similar words include: common cold, cold-blooded, low temperature
- Opposite of: hotness, hot
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COLD
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74D: "111. ___ Minor"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the largest continent with 60% of the earth's population; it is joined to europe on the west to form eurasia; it is the site of some of the world's earliest civilizations
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASIA
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75D: "112. Stevie Wonder's "___ She Lovely""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISNT
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76D: "114. Vex, with "off""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the starting place for each hole on a golf course
- Similar words include: teeing ground, tee up, football tee
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEE
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77D: "116. Summer on the Riviera"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETE
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78D: "117. Onetime parent co. of Virgin Records"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMI
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79D: "118. Led"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
- Similar words include: operate, work, lam
- Opposite of: idle, malfunction
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAN
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
61 Across Clues
79 Down Clues
140 Total Clues
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