Search Clues

Showing posts sorted by date for query LEAFS. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query LEAFS. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Monday, September 21, 2026

Trivia Week 3 Manual for NYT Mini September 21, 2026

Today's Trivia Week 3 NYT Mini Crossword September 21, 2026 Answers

Here's today's NYT Mini — 20 clues in total, and we've got hints plus answers for every one of them.

Popular Puzzles: July 03 2019 NYT Clues Solutions | January 04 2021 NYT Clues Solutions | NYT Crossword Down November 19 2025 All |

About Today's Puzzle

NYT Mini Crossword solutions for September 21, 2026
NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Monday, September 21, 2026
Puzzle Statistics
Detail Information
Date September 21, 2026
Grid Size 5 x 5 squares
Total Clues 20 clues
Across Clues 10 clues
Down Clues 10 clues
Average Solve Time Under 1 minute

Today's Trivia Week 3 NYT Mini Crossword Grid Layout

Today's layout is the usual 5x5: five columns, five rows.

5x5 Crossword Grid Pattern
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5
Row 1          
Row 2          
Row 3          
Row 4          
Row 5          

How to Solve This One Fast

  1. Skim every clue once before you write anything — your brain keeps chewing on the ones you don't solve right away.
  2. Knock out the short answers (3 letters or under) first.
  3. Lean on the crossing letters once a couple of words are in.
  4. A question mark in a clue usually means there's a pun coming.
  5. THE, AND, ARE, FOR, NOT — these little words show up constantly, keep them in your back pocket.

Quick Facts

  • Total squares: 25 (5 × 5)
  • Typical solve time: well under a minute for most regulars
  • Good time to play: on a coffee break
  • Difficulty: built to be approachable

Across Clues - 10 Total

These run left to right across the grid.

Across Clues List
Number Clue
1 Across 44. Draped Indian garment
2 Across 67. What a paper airplane icon may indicate
3 Across 29. Took a chair
4 Across 15. Berry at a smoothie shop
5 Across 64. Modern note-taking aid
6 Across 39. Decade of W.W. II ... or a homophonic hint to 17-, 23-, 50- and 57-Across
7 Across 9. Leafs (through)
8 Across 57. "A fight requires more than one person"
9 Across 30. Eager
10 Across 63. "I'm available to help"

Hints and Answers for Across Clues

Stuck on one? Hints and answers for each clue are below. A few other guides worth a look:


1 Across: "44. Draped Indian garment"

Hints:

  • This one runs 4 letters long.
  • Short form / acronym territory here.
  • Starts with 'S', ends with 'I'.

Answer:

Click to reveal SARI


2 Across: "67. What a paper airplane icon may indicate"

Hints:

  • This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.
  • Starts with 'S', ends with 'D'.
  • Pattern-wise it looks like: S__D

Answer:

Click to reveal SEND


3 Across: "29. Took a chair"

Hints:

  • 'sit' points in the same direction.
  • Short form / acronym territory here.
  • First letter's a 'S', last letter's a 'T'.

Answer:

Click to reveal SAT


4 Across: "15. Berry at a smoothie shop"

Hints:

  • Starts with 'A', ends with 'I'.
  • Count on 4 letters here.
  • Blank it out and you get: A__I

Answer:

Click to reveal ACAI


5 Across: "64. Modern note-taking aid"

Hints:

  • This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.
  • This one runs 4 letters long.
  • Kicks off with 'I' and wraps up with 'D'.

Answer:

Click to reveal IPAD


6 Across: "39. Decade of W.W. II ... or a homophonic hint to 17-, 23-, 50- and 57-Across"

Hints:

  • You could also think of it as "1940s."
  • You're looking for 7 letters.
  • Blank it out and you get: F_____S

Answer:

Click to reveal FORTIES


7 Across: "9. Leafs (through)"

Hints:

  • Blank it out and you get: P___S
  • You're looking for 5 letters.
  • Starts with 'P', ends with 'S'.

Answer:

Click to reveal PAGES


8 Across: "57. "A fight requires more than one person""

Hints:

  • Count on 15 letters here.
  • Starts with 'T', ends with 'O'.

Answer:

Click to reveal TAKESTWOTOTANGO


9 Across: "30. Eager"

Hints:

  • This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.
  • First letter's a 'A', last letter's a 'D'.
  • If that helps, the shape is: A__D

Answer:

Click to reveal AVID


10 Across: "63. "I'm available to help""

Hints:

  • You're looking for 5 letters.
  • Starts with 'U', ends with 'E'.

Answer:

Click to reveal USEME

Down Clues - 10 Total

These run top to bottom in the grid.

Down Clues List
Number Clue
1 Down 10. Any Olympian
2 Down 33. Hardwood whose bark is sometimes used as paper
3 Down 25. It may have a hard or soft shell
4 Down 61. "Golly!"
5 Down 2. ___ Paulo, Brazil
6 Down 27. Paves the way?
7 Down 23. Barter
8 Down 47. Place to put a coin
9 Down 13. Worshiper in a turban
10 Down 45. Dashboard or bumper

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

Same deal here — hints then answers. You might also like:


1 Down: "10. Any Olympian"

Hints:

  • It's a 7-letter word.
  • Close enough in meaning: jock.
  • Blank it out and you get: A_____E

Answer:

Click to reveal ATHLETE


2 Down: "33. Hardwood whose bark is sometimes used as paper"

Hints:

  • You're looking for 5 letters.
  • Pattern-wise it looks like: B___H
  • Close enough in meaning: birchen.

Answer:

Click to reveal BIRCH


3 Down: "25. It may have a hard or soft shell"

Hints:

  • Kicks off with 'T' and wraps up with 'O'.
  • Close enough in meaning: greaser.
  • If that helps, the shape is: T__O

Answer:

Click to reveal TACO


4 Down: "61. "Golly!""

Hints:

  • Starts with 'G', ends with 'E'.
  • 'g-force' points in the same direction.
  • It's a 3-letter word.

Answer:

Click to reveal GEE


5 Down: "2. ___ Paulo, Brazil"

Hints:

  • You're looking for 3 letters.
  • First letter's a 'S', last letter's a 'O'.
  • This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.

Answer:

Click to reveal SAO


6 Down: "27. Paves the way?"

Hints:

  • You could also think of it as "seaman."
  • Starts with 'T', ends with 'S'.
  • This one runs 4 letters long.

Answer:

Click to reveal TARS


7 Down: "23. Barter"

Hints:

  • Kicks off with 'T' and wraps up with 'E'.
  • Pattern-wise it looks like: T___E
  • You could also think of it as "deal."

Answer:

Click to reveal TRADE


8 Down: "47. Place to put a coin"

Hints:

  • Blank it out and you get: S__T
  • First letter's a 'S', last letter's a 'T'.
  • This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.

Answer:

Click to reveal SLOT


9 Down: "13. Worshiper in a turban"

Hints:

  • This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.
  • Count on 4 letters here.
  • Kicks off with 'S' and wraps up with 'H'.

Answer:

Click to reveal SIKH


10 Down: "45. Dashboard or bumper"

Hints:

  • It's a 7-letter word.
  • Starts with 'C', ends with 'T'.

Answer:

Click to reveal CARPART

How to Solve the NYT Mini Crossword Faster

Some habits that speed things up over time:

Step-by-Step Strategy

  1. Scan before you solve: One quick read-through of all the clues before you commit to anything usually pays off.
  2. Short words first: The 2-3 letter answers are almost always the low-hanging fruit.
  3. Let crossings guide you: Harder answers get much easier once a couple of crossing letters are locked in.
  4. Puns hide behind question marks: If a clue ends in "?", expect wordplay, not a straight answer.
  5. A few words repeat a lot: ERA, ORE, ATE, ICE show up more than you'd expect — keep them in mind.

Letter Tips That Really Help

  • E is the most common letter in English, so it's worth guessing early.
  • Words ending in S are usually plurals.
  • Blanks ("___") in a clue mean the answer fits exactly into those spaces.
  • An abbreviation in the clue is a signal the answer's abbreviated too.

Time Goals to Aim For

Your Time Skill Level What It Means
Under 30 seconds Expert You've clearly got the puzzle's patterns down.
30-60 seconds Advanced Solid pace — you're solving quickly.
1-2 minutes Good Right where most regular solvers land.
Over 2 minutes Learning Totally fine — speed comes with reps.

Puzzle Numbers and Facts

Today's Puzzle by the Numbers
Total Clues: 20
Grid Size: 5 boxes across, 5 boxes down
Total Squares: 25
Average Time: 58 seconds
Difficulty: A bit tricky

Common Questions About Trivia Week 3

When does the Trivia Week 3 Mini go live?

It usually goes live around 10 PM Eastern the night before.

How long should Trivia Week 3 take me?

Most people land somewhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Slower than that is completely normal too — it gets faster with practice.

Is Trivia Week 3 free to play?

It's free to play, unlike the main NYT Crossword which sits behind a paywall.

What actually makes someone good at Trivia Week 3?

It mostly comes down to recognizing common short answers and catching puns fast. The rest is just reps.

Does Trivia Week 3 get harder as the week goes on?

It varies day to day — Saturdays tend to be the toughest, Mondays the easiest.


About This Page: We put together hints and answers for the NYT Mini to help you learn the ropes and get faster over time. This site isn't affiliated with The New York Times.

Last Updated: September 21, 2026 at 09:09 AM

Search terms: NYT Mini Trivia Week, Trivia Week {week_num}, Mini crossword Trivia Week, Trivia Week answers, NYT Trivia Week, September 21 2026 mini crossword

XWordHint Crossword Answers September 21, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Medium

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Where Mongolia is 4
2A 5. Scaredy-cat 4
3A 9. Leafs (through) 5
4A 14. Album for which Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize 4
5A 15. Berry at a smoothie shop 4
6A 16. Company behind the game Pong 5
7A 17. Mentally pooped 15
8A 20. 1960s service site, informally 3
9A 21. Common injury site for a basketball player, informally 3
10A 22. Thick, as plant growth 4
11A 23. Deliberately give instruction in a way that targets an exam 14
12A 28. Commercial that may come with a jingle 7
13A 29. Took a chair 3
14A 30. Eager 4
15A 31. Hair parter 4
16A 34. Continue a subscription 5
17A 38. Barely passing grade 3
18A 39. Decade of W.W. II ... or a homophonic hint to 17-, 23-, 50- and 57-Across 7
19A 41. Around 18, typically, for a high school graduate 3
20A 42. Sometimes-floral organic compound 5
21A 44. Draped Indian garment 4
22A 45. ___-X (computer command to cut text) 4
23A 46. Crosses (out) 3
24A 48. Conjures up, say 7
25A 50. "If I'm being honest ..." 14
26A 54. Cook, in a way, as ahi tuna 4
27A 55. Opposite of 'neath 3
28A 56. Fools' mo. 3
29A 57. "A fight requires more than one person" 15
30A 63. "I'm available to help" 5
31A 64. Modern note-taking aid 4
32A 65. Plant in a marsh 4
33A 66. Spanish babies 5
34A 67. What a paper airplane icon may indicate 4
35A 68. Thing in a grove 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Where Mongolia is"

4 letters Category: Common Word

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Scaredy-cat"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy
  • Similar words include: chicken, weakly interacting massive particle, crybaby
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WIMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Leafs (through)"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
  • Similar words include: varlet, foliate, Thomas Nelson Page
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAGES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Album for which Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something of little value
  • Similar words include: darn, curse, infernal
  • Opposite of: bless
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAMN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Berry at a smoothie shop"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Company behind the game Pong"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Mentally pooped"

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. 1960s service site, informally"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Common injury site for a basketball player, informally"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Thick, as plant growth"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who drinks alcohol to excess habitually
  • Similar words include: alky, boozer, alcoholic
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUSH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Deliberately give instruction in a way that targets an exam"

14 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "28. Commercial that may come with a jingle"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "29. Took a chair"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the sabbath by jews and some christians
  • Similar words include: Sabbatum, posture, pose
  • Opposite of: stand, arise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Eager"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Hair parter"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a flat device with narrow pointed teeth on one edge; disentangles or arranges hair
  • Similar words include: comb out, disentangle, ransack
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Continue a subscription"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that reestablish on a new, usually improved, basis or make new or like new
  • Similar words include: regenerate, reincarnate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RENEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "38. Barely passing grade"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "39. Decade of W.W. II ... or a homophonic hint to 17-, 23-, 50- and 57-Across"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the time of life between 40 and 50
  • Similar words include: 40, mid-forties, 1940s
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORTIES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "41. Around 18, typically, for a high school graduate"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. Sometimes-floral organic compound"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that formed by reaction between an acid and an alcohol with elimination of water
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "44. Draped Indian garment"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dress worn primarily by hindu women; consists of several yards of light material that is draped around the body
  • Similar words include: saree
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. ___-X (computer command to cut text)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "46. Crosses (out)"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless odorless inert gaseous element occurring in the earth's atmosphere in trace amounts
  • Similar words include: xenon, disco biscuit, cristal
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: XES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Conjures up, say"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make or cause to be or to become
  • Similar words include: produce, create, make
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CREATES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "50. "If I'm being honest ...""

14 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "54. Cook, in a way, as ahi tuna"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make very hot and dry
  • Similar words include: blacken, singe, char
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "55. Opposite of 'neath"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "56. Fools' mo."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the month following march and preceding may
  • Similar words include: April
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "57. "A fight requires more than one person""

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "63. "I'm available to help""

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "64. Modern note-taking aid"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "65. Plant in a marsh"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera arundo and phragmites
  • Similar words include: vibrating reed, John Reed, beating-reed instrument
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "66. Spanish babies"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "67. What a paper airplane icon may indicate"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "68. Thing in a grove"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Big letters in home security 3
2D 2. ___ Paulo, Brazil 3
3D 3. Comment that might follow "None for me, thanks" 9
4D 4. Relief for an upset stomach 7
5D 5. Simple two-player card game 3
6D 6. Drink cooler 3
7D 7. Angry with 5
8D 8. Throw from a mound 5
9D 9. Butter square 3
10D 10. Any Olympian 7
11D 11. First name of Julius Caesar 5
12D 12. Artist Max 5
13D 13. Worshiper in a turban 4
14D 18. Texter's qualifier 4
15D 19. Cries in a fútbol stadium 4
16D 23. Barter 5
17D 24. Roof overhangs 5
18D 25. It may have a hard or soft shell 4
19D 26. Things indicated by squiggly lines in cartoons 5
20D 27. Paves the way? 4
21D 32. N.Y.C. subway letters 3
22D 33. Hardwood whose bark is sometimes used as paper 5
23D 35. Leader of an 1831 revolt against slavery 9
24D 36. Spearfishing bird 5
25D 37. People of SW Britain 5
26D 39. Without charge 4
27D 40. The Emerald Isle 4
28D 43. Like skydiving or cliff-diving 7
29D 45. Dashboard or bumper 7
30D 47. Place to put a coin 4
31D 49. Coup d'___ 4
32D 50. Joke with 5
33D 51. Like some wine barrels 5
34D 52. ___ and Clark 5
35D 53. Familiar narrative device 5
36D 54. Leave dumbfounded 4
37D 58. French possessive 3
38D 59. Catch some rays 3
39D 60. Bizarre 3
40D 61. "Golly!" 3
41D 62. Poetic tribute 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Big letters in home security"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. ___ Paulo, Brazil"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Comment that might follow "None for me, thanks""

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Relief for an upset stomach"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agent that counteracts or neutralizes acidity (especially in the stomach)
  • Similar words include: alkalizer, gastric antacid, antiacid
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTACID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Simple two-player card game"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
  • Similar words include: warfare, state of war
  • Opposite of: make peace, peace
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Drink cooler"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water frozen in the solid state
  • Similar words include: frappe, methamphetamine hydrochloride, glass
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Angry with"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Throw from a mound"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
  • Similar words include: cant over, flip, cant
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PITCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Butter square"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a gentle blow
  • Similar words include: glib, rap, dab
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Any Olympian"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person trained to compete in sports
  • Similar words include: jock
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATHLETE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. First name of Julius Caesar"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roman emperor who succeeded tiberius and whose uncontrolled passions resulted in manifest insanity; noted for his cruelty and tyranny; was assassinated (12-41)
  • Similar words include: Caligula, Gaius Caesar
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAIUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Artist Max"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that painter (born in germany, resident of france and the united states) who was a cofounder of dadaism; developed the technique of collage (1891-1976)
  • Similar words include: Max Ernst
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERNST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Worshiper in a turban"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an adherent of sikhism
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIKH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Texter's qualifier"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Cries in a fútbol stadium"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Barter"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
  • Similar words include: trade in, switch, craft
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Roof overhangs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EAVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "25. It may have a hard or soft shell"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of mexican descent
  • Similar words include: greaser, wetback
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TACO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "26. Things indicated by squiggly lines in cartoons"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any property detected by the olfactory system
  • Similar words include: smell, olfactory property, aroma
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "27. Paves the way?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various dark heavy viscid substances obtained as a residue
  • Similar words include: seaman, pitch, tar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. N.Y.C. subway letters"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Hardwood whose bark is sometimes used as paper"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
  • Similar words include: birchen, birken, birch tree
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BIRCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Leader of an 1831 revolt against slavery"

9 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Spearfishing bird"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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: "37. People of SW Britain"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or resident of wales
  • Similar words include: Cambrian, welch, Cymric
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WELSH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Without charge"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that people who are free
  • Similar words include: relinquish, gratis, liberate
  • Opposite of: confine, lodge
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FREE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. The Emerald Isle"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of ireland; achieved independence from the united kingdom in 1921
  • Similar words include: Republic of Ireland, Irish Republic, Ireland
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Like skydiving or cliff-diving"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the furthest or highest degree of something
  • Similar words include: utmost, extremum, extreme point
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXTREME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Dashboard or bumper"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Place to put a coin"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a position in a grammatical linguistic construction in which a variety of alternative units are interchangeable
  • Similar words include: time slot, expansion slot, one-armed bandit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. Coup d'___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Joke with"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. Like some wine barrels"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that consisting of or made of wood of the oak tree
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAKEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. ___ and Clark"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
  • Similar words include: Frederick Carleton Lewis, Carl Lewis, C. S. Lewis
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEWIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. Familiar narrative device"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense
  • Similar words include: figure of speech, image, figure
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TROPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "54. Leave dumbfounded"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
  • Similar words include: daze, stupefy, sandbag
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "58. French possessive"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a toxic nonmetallic element related to sulfur and tellurium; occurs in several allotropic forms; a stable grey metallike allotrope conducts electricity better in the light than in the dark and is used in photocells; occurs in sulfide ores (as pyrite)
  • Similar words include: sulfur, reciprocal ohm, southward
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "59. Catch some rays"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun
  • Similar words include: sunburn, suntan, burn
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "60. Bizarre"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not divisible by two
  • Similar words include: uneven, unmatched, queer
  • Opposite of: even
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "61. "Golly!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
  • Similar words include: g, g-force
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "62. Poetic tribute"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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
41 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: September 21, 2026 at 09:08 AM

Sunday, January 25, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers January 25, 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: 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. Baggage accessory 5
2A 6. Apple TV comedy that received 20 Emmy nominations for its first season 8
3A 14. In which baby spiders develop 6
4A 20. Home of Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas" 5
5A 21. "I want to hear about that!" 8
6A 22. Makeshift replacement for a Kleenex 6
7A 23. "That cabinet with plates looks awfully full" 14
8A 25. Triangular sail 6
9A 26. Food court pizzeria 6
10A 27. Some M.I.T. grads, for short 3
11A 28. Resort amenity 3
12A 30. Bob who hosted "America's Funniest Home Videos" 5
13A 31. A noble gas 4
14A 33. It's good for the long haul 4
15A 36. Sphere of creativity 8
16A 38. Private investigator, informally 3
17A 41. Cheese in a wax coating 4
18A 43. "It's saying you completed the marathon in under two hours, which can't be right" 12
19A 45. Persian Gulf nation 4
20A 47. Sneaker brand that popularized cantilever heels 4
21A 49. Mix up 4
22A 50. Actress Edebiri of "The Bear" 3
23A 51. "Is that a cough I hear?" 13
24A 54. Event for V.I.P. customers 7
25A 58. The planets in our solar system, e.g. 5
26A 59. Sci-fi princess 4
27A 60. Stretchy material 5
28A 62. Freight barge 4
29A 63. Not fantastical 4
30A 65. La Città Eterna 4
31A 67. Haunted house sound 4
32A 69. Something to use on your break? 3
33A 70. "Sorry, we'll have to put the old panes back in" 19
34A 75. Group of humpbacks 3
35A 76. ___ Bora (embattled Afghan region) 4
36A 77. Tel ___ 4
37A 78. Designer Saint Laurent 4
38A 79. Little bits of energy 4
39A 81. New Zealanders, familiarly 5
40A 84. Color of undyed linen 4
41A 86. Course that doesn't require much studying 5
42A 89. "Gimme, gimme!" 7
43A 91. "Those pancakes are piled way too high!" 13
44A 94. Boxy transport 3
45A 95. Part of a bouquet, in Bogotá 4
46A 96. Like close-fitting clothes 4
47A 97. It's just under a foot 4
48A 98. "Your emery board will never fit in this tiny toiletry bag" 12
49A 103. Undesirable roommate 4
50A 105. Word found in all but four state constitutions, but not the U.S. Constitution 3
51A 106. Part of M.O. 8
52A 107. Symbol of transformation in "The Silence of the Lambs" 4
53A 109. Isn't feeling great 4
54A 111. Large flightless birds 5
55A 112. National Poetry Mo. 3
56A 114. "That ship ___ sailed" 3
57A 116. Beverage brewed outside using natural heat 6
58A 120. ___ beef 6
59A 122. "Your waiter's nowhere to be seen!" 14
60A 126. Passes 6
61A 127. Chips may go into it 8
62A 128. Jane who received a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award 5
63A 129. Have no stomach for 6
64A 130. Doesn't care for 8
65A 131. Unexpected jerk 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Baggage accessory"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Apple TV comedy that received 20 Emmy nominations for its first season"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "14. In which baby spiders develop"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "20. Home of Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas""

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "21. "I want to hear about that!""

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "22. Makeshift replacement for a Kleenex"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
  • Similar words include: arm
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEEVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "23. "That cabinet with plates looks awfully full""

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "25. Triangular sail"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a triangular fore-and-aft sail used especially in the mediterranean
  • Similar words include: lateen-rigged, lateen sail
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LATEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "26. Food court pizzeria"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "27. Some M.I.T. grads, for short"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication
  • Similar words include: electrical engineering, EE
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "28. Resort amenity"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "30. Bob who hosted "America's Funniest Home Videos""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "31. A noble gas"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
  • Similar words include: atomic number 10, Ne
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "33. It's good for the long haul"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "36. Sphere of creativity"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "38. Private investigator, informally"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a police officer who investigates crimes
  • Similar words include: detective, investigator, police detective
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "41. Cheese in a wax coating"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "43. "It's saying you completed the marathon in under two hours, which can't be right""

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "45. Persian Gulf nation"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in the middle east in western asia; the ancient civilization of mesopotamia was in the area now known as iraq
  • Similar words include: Republic of Iraq, Al-Iraq, Irak
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRAQ

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "47. Sneaker brand that popularized cantilever heels"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "49. Mix up"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event
  • Similar words include: conjure up, call down, bring up
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "50. Actress Edebiri of "The Bear""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "51. "Is that a cough I hear?""

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "54. Event for V.I.P. customers"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "58. The planets in our solar system, e.g."

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
  • Similar words include: VIII, eightsome, eighter from Decatur
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCTET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "59. Sci-fi princess"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "60. Stretchy material"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "62. Freight barge"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various flat-bottomed boats with sloping ends
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "63. Not fantastical"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any rational or irrational number
  • Similar words include: genuine, existent, tangible
  • Opposite of: unreal, insubstantial
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "65. La Città Eterna"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling; they are believed to have originated in northern india but now are living on all continents (but mostly in europe, north africa, and north america)
  • Similar words include: Italian capital, Gypsy, read-only memory
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "67. Haunted house sound"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long loud emotional utterance
  • Similar words include: yaup, yowl, wrawl
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOWL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "69. Something to use on your break?"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech
  • Similar words include: discriminative stimulus, pool cue, clew
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "70. "Sorry, we'll have to put the old panes back in""

19 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WINDOWSUPDATEFAILED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "75. Group of humpbacks"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)
  • Similar words include: seedpod, fuel pod, cod
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "76. ___ Bora (embattled Afghan region)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "77. Tel ___"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "78. Designer Saint Laurent"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "79. Little bits of energy"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cgs unit of work or energy; the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter
  • Similar words include: erg
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "81. New Zealanders, familiarly"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that climbing vine native to china; cultivated in new zealand for its fuzzy edible fruit with green meat
  • Similar words include: Actinidia deliciosa, Actinidia chinensis, kiwi vine
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KIWIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "84. Color of undyed linen"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very light brown
  • Similar words include: beige
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ECRU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "86. Course that doesn't require much studying"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42A: "89. "Gimme, gimme!""

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43A: "91. "Those pancakes are piled way too high!""

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44A: "94. Boxy transport"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
  • Similar words include: vanguard, caravan, avant-garde
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45A: "95. Part of a bouquet, in Bogotá"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46A: "96. Like close-fitting clothes"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small secluded room
  • Similar words include: cosy, cubbyhole, close-fitting
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNUG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47A: "97. It's just under a foot"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the underside of footwear or a golf club
  • Similar words include: exclusive, lone, solitary
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48A: "98. "Your emery board will never fit in this tiny toiletry bag""

12 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49A: "103. Undesirable roommate"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a coarse obnoxious person
  • Similar words include: sloven, pig, slovenly person
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50A: "105. Word found in all but four state constitutions, but not the U.S. Constitution"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
  • Similar words include: graven image, divinity, immortal
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51A: "106. Part of M.O."

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52A: "107. Symbol of transformation in "The Silence of the Lambs""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53A: "109. Isn't feeling great"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that aromatic bulb used as seasoning
  • Similar words include: trouble, ail, pain
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AILS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54A: "111. Large flightless birds"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fertility goddess in ancient greek mythology; wife of cronus and mother of zeus; identified with roman ops and cybele of ancient asia minor
  • Similar words include: Rhea, Pterocnemia pennata, Rhea americana
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RHEAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55A: "112. National Poetry Mo."

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the month following march and preceding may
  • Similar words include: April
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56A: "114. "That ship ___ sailed""

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
  • Similar words include: accept, possess, take in
  • Opposite of: abstain, refuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57A: "116. Beverage brewed outside using natural heat"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58A: "120. ___ beef"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feed (cattle) with corn
  • Similar words include: cured, corn
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CORNED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59A: "122. "Your waiter's nowhere to be seen!""

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60A: "126. Passes"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that order by virtue of superior authority; decree
  • Similar words include: ordain, act out, enact
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENACTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61A: "127. Chips may go into it"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62A: "128. Jane who received a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states film actress and daughter of henry fonda (born in 1937)
  • Similar words include: Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FONDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63A: "129. Have no stomach for"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dislike intensely; feel antipathy or aversion towards
  • Similar words include: hate
  • Opposite of: love
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DETEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64A: "130. Doesn't care for"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lack of attention and due care
  • Similar words include: disuse, ignore, fail
  • Opposite of: attend to
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEGLECTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65A: "131. Unexpected jerk"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
  • Similar words include: cramp, muscle spasm
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPASM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Major N.Y.S.E. events 4
2D 2. Beat handily 4
3D 3. "See ya later!" 4
4D 4. Deck out 5
5D 5. Walk 6
6D 6. Cable co. that was purchased by AT&T in 1999 3
7D 7. "What ___?" 4
8D 8. William, Edward and Harry, e.g. 5
9D 9. To a ___ degree 6
10D 10. Stage booster 3
11D 11. Domain for salty dogs 3
12D 12. Urges to attack, with "on" 4
13D 13. What this hand has: A♣ A♦️ K♠ Q❤️ 6♠ 7
14D 14. Fluency-building subj. 3
15D 15. Prosthetic facial feature of Peter Falk 8
16D 16. Convey 9
17D 17. Pete who co-wrote "If I Had a Hammer" 6
18D 18. Skin care company 6
19D 19. Football snapper 6
20D 24. Thingamabob 6
21D 29. Either side of a cheerleader's "A" 3
22D 32. Kind of orange 5
23D 34. It's not optional 4
24D 35. Silicon Valley giant 5
25D 37. Easily detached 8
26D 38. Pioneering DVR brand 4
27D 39. George Orwell's first name at birth 4
28D 40. Purchase for the Atari 2600 9
29D 42. One cutting corners 8
30D 44. Neat 4
31D 46. One of Adolf Anderssen's sacrifices in the "Immortal Game" against Lionel Kieseritzky 5
32D 48. "Trade discount" quintet 5
33D 52. German for "city" 5
34D 53. Something to pitch 4
35D 54. Univ. worker 4
36D 55. Site-seeing list? 9
37D 56. Forte 4
38D 57. Animal whose name sounds like a pronoun 3
39D 61. V-shaped designs 8
40D 64. Visit, as for a safety check 8
41D 66. Mathematician Lovelace 3
42D 68. Human organ with the ability to regenerate itself 5
43D 70. Frayed 4
44D 71. Court order 4
45D 72. With, in Oise 4
46D 73. Exam marks 5
47D 74. N.H.L. team with the longest Stanley Cup drought, familiarly 5
48D 75. Smallest Canadian prov. 3
49D 80. Canning package? 9
50D 82. Mallorca, por ejemplo 4
51D 83. Reason for turbulence 5
52D 85. Anatomical appendage that only humans and gorillas have 5
53D 87. Modern "seize the day" 4
54D 88. Stunned 4
55D 90. Computer model inputs 8
56D 92. Ship that transported the Golden Fleece 4
57D 93. Hardly a team player 6
58D 95. Betrays, in a way 7
59D 98. Like an unnatural smile 6
60D 99. Tech debut of 2007 6
61D 100. Examine creepily 6
62D 101. ___ Mae Brown (Whoopi's role in "Ghost") 3
63D 102. World's most-produced organic compound 6
64D 104. Puts up a false front 6
65D 108. Property of curium, but not cerium 5
66D 110. Eavesdrop, e.g. 5
67D 113. Surrealist Magritte 4
68D 115. Fit of irritation 4
69D 117. Fish in niçoise salad 4
70D 118. Cuts off 4
71D 119. Actor Brody of "The O.C." 4
72D 121. "Spring forward" hrs. 3
73D 123. Illegally interfere with, as an election 3
74D 124. Remote abbr. 3
75D 125. Special ___ 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Major N.Y.S.E. events"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a corporation's first offer to sell stock to the public
  • Similar words include: IPO, initial public offering, initial offering
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IPOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Beat handily"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight
  • Similar words include: thrash, cream, lick
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. "See ya later!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Deck out"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
  • Similar words include: embellish, invest, clothe
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADORN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Walk"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Cable co. that was purchased by AT&T in 1999"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "What ___?""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. William, Edward and Harry, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a british peer of the highest rank
  • Similar words include: duke
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DUKES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. To a ___ degree"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of less size or importance
  • Similar words include: less
  • Opposite of: more, greater
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LESSER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Stage booster"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic unit of electric current adopted under the systeme international d'unites
  • Similar words include: adenosine monophosphate, ampere, A
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Domain for salty dogs"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Urges to attack, with "on""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that urge to attack someone
  • Similar words include: set, sic
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SICS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. What this hand has: A♣ A♦️ K♠ Q❤️ 6♠"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Fluency-building subj."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "15. Prosthetic facial feature of Peter Falk"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "16. Convey"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "17. Pete who co-wrote "If I Had a Hammer""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states folk singer who was largely responsible for the interest in folk music in the 1960s (born in 1919)
  • Similar words include: Pete Seeger, Alan Seeger, Peter Seeger
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEEGER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "18. Skin care company"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "19. Football snapper"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an area that is approximately central within some larger region
  • Similar words include: focus on, center of attention, shopping center
  • Opposite of: right
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CENTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "24. Thingamabob"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known
  • Similar words include: whatchamacallum, whatchamacallit, gubbins
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOODAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "29. Either side of a cheerleader's "A""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
  • Similar words include: sleeve, weapon system, branch
  • Opposite of: disarm
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Kind of orange"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a scar where the umbilical cord was attached
  • Similar words include: navel point, belly button, bellybutton
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAVEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. It's not optional"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a necessary or essential thing
  • Similar words include: moldiness, mustiness
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MUST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Silicon Valley giant"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Easily detached"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reckless and impetuous person
  • Similar words include: brainish, madcap, impulsive
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEARAWAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Pioneering DVR brand"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. George Orwell's first name at birth"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "40. Purchase for the Atari 2600"

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ammunition consisting of a cylindrical casing containing an explosive charge and a bullet; fired from a rifle or handgun
  • Similar words include: pickup, magazine
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARTRIDGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. One cutting corners"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. Neat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that receptacle that holds odds and ends (as sewing materials)
  • Similar words include: clean up, tidy up, goodish
  • Opposite of: untidy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIDY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "46. One of Adolf Anderssen's sacrifices in the "Immortal Game" against Lionel Kieseritzky"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
  • Similar words include: king, pansy, queen mole rat
  • Opposite of: king, male monarch
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: QUEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. "Trade discount" quintet"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. German for "city""

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Something to pitch"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
  • Similar words include: tent, inner circle, encampment
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Univ. worker"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
  • Similar words include: professor
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. Site-seeing list?"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Forte"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
  • Similar words include: gimcrack, flashy, trashy
  • Opposite of: piano, softly
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOUD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "57. Animal whose name sounds like a pronoun"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a people living in southern benin and togo and southeastern ghana
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EWE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "61. V-shaped designs"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that v-shaped sleeve badge indicating military rank and service
  • Similar words include: stripes, grade insignia, chevron
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHEVRONS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "64. Visit, as for a safety check"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "66. Mathematician Lovelace"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an enzyme found in mammals that can catalyze the deamination of adenosine into inosine and ammonia
  • Similar words include: adenosine deaminase
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "68. Human organ with the ability to regenerate itself"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large and complicated reddish-brown glandular organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity; secretes bile and functions in metabolism of protein and carbohydrate and fat; synthesizes substances involved in the clotting of the blood; synthesizes vitamin a; detoxifies poisonous substances and breaks down worn-out erythrocytes
  • Similar words include: liver-colored
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "70. Frayed"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be dressed in
  • Similar words include: fall apart, wear upon, haggard
  • Opposite of: new, refresh
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WORN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44D: "71. Court order"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
  • Similar words include: judicial writ
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WRIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45D: "72. With, in Oise"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46D: "73. Exam marks"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metallic tapping sound
  • Similar words include: mark off, tick off, tick
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TICKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47D: "74. N.H.L. team with the longest Stanley Cup drought, familiarly"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
  • Similar words include: leafage, folio, thumb
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48D: "75. Smallest Canadian prov."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states architect (born in china in 1917)
  • Similar words include: Ieoh Ming Pei, I. M. Pei
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49D: "80. Canning package?"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
  • Similar words include: rift, falling out, severing
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEVERANCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50D: "82. Mallorca, por ejemplo"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51D: "83. Reason for turbulence"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
  • Similar words include: force, rage, violent storm
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STORM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52D: "85. Anatomical appendage that only humans and gorillas have"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small pendant fleshy lobe at the back of the soft palate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UVULA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53D: "87. Modern "seize the day""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54D: "88. Stunned"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that inspire awe in
  • Similar words include: awe, awestruck, awestricken
  • Opposite of: unawed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AWED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55D: "90. Computer model inputs"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56D: "92. Ship that transported the Golden Fleece"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that formerly a large constellation in the southern hemisphere between canis major and the southern cross; now divided into carina and pyxis and puppis and vela
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57D: "93. Hardly a team player"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a conceited and self-centered person
  • Similar words include: swellhead, egocentric, egotist
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGOIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58D: "95. Betrays, in a way"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59D: "98. Like an unnatural smile"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :
  • Similar words include: impel, pull, force
  • Opposite of: pull, push
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORCED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60D: "99. Tech debut of 2007"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61D: "100. Examine creepily"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62D: "101. ___ Mae Brown (Whoopi's role in "Ghost")"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63D: "102. World's most-produced organic compound"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a flammable colorless gaseous alkene; obtained from petroleum and natural gas and used in manufacturing many other chemicals; sometimes used as an anesthetic
  • Similar words include: ethylene
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHENE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64D: "104. Puts up a false front"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
  • Similar words include: bluff, four flush, bluff out
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLUFFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65D: "108. Property of curium, but not cerium"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66D: "110. Eavesdrop, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a spy who makes uninvited inquiries into the private affairs of others
  • Similar words include: stag, spy, snooper
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

67D: "113. Surrealist Magritte"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68D: "115. Fit of irritation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of agitated irritation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69D: "117. Fish in niçoise salad"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tropical american prickly pear of jamaica
  • Similar words include: tuna fish, Anguilla sucklandii, tunny
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

70D: "118. Cuts off"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either extremity of something that has length
  • Similar words include: stop, oddment, end
  • Opposite of: beginning, begin
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71D: "119. Actor Brody of "The O.C.""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old testament) in judeo-christian mythology; the first man and the husband of eve and the progenitor of the human race
  • Similar words include: XTC, cristal, go
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

72D: "121. "Spring forward" hrs."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

73D: "123. Illegally interfere with, as an election"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gear (including necessary machinery) for a particular enterprise
  • Similar words include: outfit, turnout, manipulate
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

74D: "124. Remote abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

75D: "125. Special ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (roman mythology) goddess of abundance and fertility; wife of saturn; counterpart of greek rhea and cybele of ancient asia minor
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPS

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

65 Across Clues
75 Down Clues
140 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: January 25, 2026 at 04:35 AM