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

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 04, 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. "Handy" kitchen item 4
2A 5. Smears with goo 6
3A 11. Music genre with offbeat rhythms 3
4A 14. So-called "servebot" in tennis, essentially 4
5A 15. Action on the front lines 6
6A 16. Hunk of cash 3
7A 17. Words uttered while sorting potential gowns for an Indian wedding? 11
8A 19. Word aptly hidden in "moldy" 3
9A 20. Some marksmen 7
10A 21. Stringed instruments of old 5
11A 23. Inc. alternative 3
12A 24. Kind of whale 6
13A 27. Wedding feast delivery from India's capital? 13
14A 31. Unwelcome responsibility 4
15A 33. Rawboned 5
16A 34. "Deadline" for a rush order 3
17A 35. Bit of tailoring 3
18A 36. Writer Rand 3
19A 38. Great Leap Forward leader 3
20A 39. Longoria with three Screen Actors Guild awards 3
21A 40. Celestial sphere 3
22A 41. Hold power, as a ruler 5
23A 43. "You said it!" 4
24A 44. Tying the knot during a colorful Hindu festival? 13
25A 48. One who makes a lasting impression while just scratching the surface 6
26A 49. Part of NATO: Abbr. 3
27A 50. When repeated, "You get the gist" 5
28A 52. Enter furtively 7
29A 56. Mysterious sight at night 3
30A 57. "Esteemed reception guests, we regret to report that we've run out of flatbread," e.g.? 11
31A 61. Scratch the surface of, say 3
32A 62. Like the physicist Niels Bohr and the astronomer Tycho Brahe 6
33A 63. Stock market unveilings, for short 4
34A 64. "___ you done?" 3
35A 65. Luxury transports 6
36A 66. Common workout target 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "Handy" kitchen item"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
  • Similar words include: baseball glove, hand, paw
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MITT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Smears with goo"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any thick, viscous matter
  • Similar words include: slime, reduce, goo
  • Opposite of: gain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLIMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Music genre with offbeat rhythms"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. So-called "servebot" in tennis, essentially"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that type genus of the aceraceae; trees or shrubs having winged fruit
  • Similar words include: genus Acer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Action on the front lines"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an engagement fought between two military forces
  • Similar words include: fight, fighting, armed combat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMBAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Hunk of cash"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small mass of soft material
  • Similar words include: mass, slew, pot
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Words uttered while sorting potential gowns for an Indian wedding?"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Word aptly hidden in "moldy""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
  • Similar words include: honest-to-goodness, sometime, one-time
  • Opposite of: young, new
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Some marksmen"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a marksman who shoots at people from a concealed place
  • Similar words include: sniper
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNIPERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Stringed instruments of old"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a harp used by ancient greeks for accompaniment
  • Similar words include: lyre
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LYRES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Inc. alternative"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Kind of whale"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets
  • Similar words include: whalebone
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BALEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Wedding feast delivery from India's capital?"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Unwelcome responsibility"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an onerous or difficult concern
  • Similar words include: incumbrance, load, burden
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Rawboned"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
  • Similar words include: cadaverous, haggard, emaciated
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. "Deadline" for a rush order"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the momentary present
  • Similar words include: at once, straight off, forthwith
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. Bit of tailoring"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
  • Similar words include: ahem
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. Writer Rand"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Great Leap Forward leader"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of many body compounds (e.g., epinephrine and norepinephrine and serotonin)
  • Similar words include: Mao Tsetung, monoamine oxidase, Mao Zedong
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Longoria with three Screen Actors Guild awards"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Celestial sphere"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye
  • Similar words include: orbit, globe, eyeball
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. Hold power, as a ruler"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful
  • Similar words include: prevail, predominate, sovereignty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REIGN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "43. "You said it!""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a primeval egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at thebes
  • Similar words include: Amon, Amun
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Tying the knot during a colorful Hindu festival?"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "48. One who makes a lasting impression while just scratching the surface"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who etches
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETCHER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "49. Part of NATO: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. When repeated, "You get the gist""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Enter furtively"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "56. Mysterious sight at night"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "57. "Esteemed reception guests, we regret to report that we've run out of flatbread," e.g.?"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "61. Scratch the surface of, say"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the month following february and preceding april
  • Similar words include: spoil, vitiate, defect
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. Like the physicist Niels Bohr and the astronomer Tycho Brahe"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a scandinavian language that is the official language of denmark
  • Similar words include: danish pastry
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DANISH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Stock market unveilings, for short"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. "___ you done?""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters
  • Similar words include: equal, cost, constitute
  • Opposite of: differ
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "65. Luxury transports"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
  • Similar words include: racing yacht, yacht
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YACHTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "66. Common workout target"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small group of indispensable persons or things
  • Similar words include: nitty-gritty, pith, substance
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. The "m" in many a physics equation 4
2D 2. Self-assured words 4
3D 3. Actress Polo 4
4D 4. Toughest hits to get when hitting for the cycle in baseball 7
5D 5. Sear 6
6D 6. "___ of luck!" 4
7D 7. Quick communications, in brief 3
8D 8. Postgraduate deg. with management courses 3
9D 9. Musician's asset 3
10D 10. Stylish shoe feature 8
11D 11. Someone you will never stop despising 10
12D 12. Green smoothie staple 4
13D 13. Tosses in 4
14D 18. "Little" Dickens girl 4
15D 22. Up to this point 3
16D 24. ___-free (plastics label) 3
17D 25. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler vis-à-vis "Saturday Night Live" 6
18D 26. Singer ___ Del Rey 4
19D 27. Longtime Hogwarts headmaster 10
20D 28. Set aflame 6
21D 29. Wander 4
22D 30. Graceful bird 4
23D 31. "Pick me! Pick me!" 4
24D 32. Infamous Roman ruler 4
25D 36. Attractive plus-one 8
26D 37. "You said it!" 4
27D 42. Canine warning 3
28D 43. Like a cherub 7
29D 45. "___ be a real honor" 3
30D 46. Transforms 6
31D 47. Cookie with an "enrobed" variety in the U.K. 4
32D 50. Arizona city or county 4
33D 51. At a distance 4
34D 52. Film information on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes 4
35D 53. Cops, in slang 4
36D 54. Iconic lab assistant of film 4
37D 55. Where Anheuser-Busch is "BUD" 4
38D 58. Battery for a mouse 3
39D 59. Anti-apartheid org. 3
40D 60. U.S. medical research agcy. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. The "m" in many a physics equation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
  • Similar words include: slew, pot, lot
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Self-assured words"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Actress Polo"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Toughest hits to get when hitting for the cycle in baseball"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a base hit at which the batter stops safely at third base
  • Similar words include: trio, three-bagger, treble
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRIPLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Sear"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a surface burn
  • Similar words include: char, blacken, sear
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCORCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. "___ of luck!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large number or amount
  • Similar words include: mass, slew, circle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Quick communications, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Postgraduate deg. with management courses"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a master's degree in business
  • Similar words include: Master in Business Administration, Master in Business
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MBA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Musician's asset"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
  • Similar words include: capitulum, auricle, spike
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Stylish shoe feature"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small dagger with a tapered blade
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STILETTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Someone you will never stop despising"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Green smoothie staple"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal terms for money
  • Similar words include: dinero, boodle, Brassica oleracea acephala
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Tosses in"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
  • Similar words include: hyperkinetic syndrome, MBD, add up
  • Opposite of: take away, subtract
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. "Little" Dickens girl"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Up to this point"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that up to the present time
  • Similar words include: as yet, even, heretofore
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. ___-free (plastics label)"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler vis-à-vis "Saturday Night Live""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university)
  • Similar words include: alum, grad, alumnus
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALUMNI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Singer ___ Del Rey"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Longtime Hogwarts headmaster"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. Set aflame"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat
  • Similar words include: take fire, inflame, combust
  • Opposite of: extinguish
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IGNITE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "29. Wander"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
  • Similar words include: roam, ramble, swan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. Graceful bird"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
  • Similar words include: roam, ramble, avow
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "31. "Pick me! Pick me!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "32. Infamous Roman ruler"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roman emperor notorious for his monstrous vice and fantastic luxury (was said to have started a fire that destroyed much of rome in 64) but the roman empire remained prosperous during his rule (37-68)
  • Similar words include: Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NERO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "36. Attractive plus-one"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. "You said it!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not only so, but
  • Similar words include: yea
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Canine warning"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Like a cherub"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that marked by utter benignity; resembling or befitting an angel or saint
  • Similar words include: saintlike, saintly, cherubic
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANGELIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. "___ be a real honor""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Transforms"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to change shape in a computer animation
  • Similar words include: morph
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORPHS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Cookie with an "enrobed" variety in the U.K."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that chocolate cookie with white cream filling
  • Similar words include: oreo cookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Arizona city or county"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the north american indian people of arizona and adjacent mexico and california
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YUMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. At a distance"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old-fashioned) at or from or to a great distance; far
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Film information on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the actors in a play
  • Similar words include: cat, ramble, throw up
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. Cops, in slang"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "54. Iconic lab assistant of film"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "55. Where Anheuser-Busch is "BUD""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a stock exchange in new york
  • Similar words include: big board, N. Y. Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NYSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Battery for a mouse"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta associated with old age and hypertension
  • Similar words include: abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AAA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Anti-apartheid org."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. U.S. medical research agcy."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency in the department of health and human services whose mission is to employ science in the pursuit of knowledge to improve human health; is the principal biomedical research agency of the federal government
  • Similar words include: National Institutes of Health
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIH

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

36 Across Clues
40 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: August 04, 2026 at 06:07 AM

Monday, July 27, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 27, 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. Male deer 4
2A 5. National sport of Japan 4
3A 9. Posh N.Y.C. neighborhood 4
4A 13. Post-it ___ 4
5A 14. Privy to 4
6A 15. Mideast ruler 4
7A 16. "Either way is fine with me" 9
8A 18. Prefix with hit or bit 4
9A 19. Citrusy Japanese sauce 5
10A 20. Manipulate into doubting one's memory or experience 8
11A 22. Friendly emoticon 10
12A 24. Relieve, as pain 6
13A 28. Long-running forensics series 3
14A 29. Only state with a nonrectangular flag 4
15A 30. Title for a married woman 3
16A 33. Fairy tale opening word 4
17A 36. Country in Oceania named for a biblical king 14
18A 40. "Star Wars" character ___ Ren 4
19A 41. ___ Wednesday 3
20A 42. Interlocking toy brand 4
21A 43. Four-wheeler, for short 3
22A 45. Kicked out of office 6
23A 47. Pet for Franklin Roosevelt or George W. Bush, informally 10
24A 52. As a precaution 8
25A 53. Competitor at an esports tournament 5
26A 58. All tied up 4
27A 59. Smartphone setting that removes all color from the screen ... or a feature of this puzzle? 9
28A 61. Currency in Chihuahua 4
29A 62. Job for an actor 4
30A 63. Run in neutral 4
31A 64. Ruminate (over) 4
32A 65. "A Bug's Life" bugs 4
33A 66. Out of battery 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Male deer"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male deer, especially an adult male red deer
  • Similar words include: denounce, snitch, sleuth
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. National sport of Japan"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a japanese form of wrestling; you lose if you are forced out of a small ring or if any part of your body (other than your feet) touches the ground
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Posh N.Y.C. neighborhood"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. Post-it ___"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. Privy to"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "15. Mideast ruler"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "16. "Either way is fine with me""

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Prefix with hit or bit"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Citrusy Japanese sauce"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Manipulate into doubting one's memory or experience"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that light yielded by the combustion of illuminating gas
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GASLIGHT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Friendly emoticon"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Relieve, as pain"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that give moral or emotional strength to
  • Similar words include: solace, comfort, console
  • Opposite of: irritate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOOTHE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "28. Long-running forensics series"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Only state with a nonrectangular flag"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a midwestern state in north central united states in the great lakes region
  • Similar words include: OH, Buckeye State, Ohio River
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OHIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Title for a married woman"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a form of address for a married woman
  • Similar words include: Mister, Mrs., Mr
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. Fairy tale opening word"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that on one occasion
  • Similar words include: formerly, erstwhile, erst
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Country in Oceania named for a biblical king"

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "40. "Star Wars" character ___ Ren"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "41. ___ Wednesday"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. Interlocking toy brand"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (trademark) a child's plastic construction set for making mechanical models
  • Similar words include: Lego set
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Four-wheeler, for short"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Kicked out of office"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove from a position or office
  • Similar words include: drum out, kick out, oust
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUSTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "47. Pet for Franklin Roosevelt or George W. Bush, informally"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "52. As a precaution"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "53. Competitor at an esports tournament"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that disabled in the feet or legs
  • Similar words include: gamy, spunky, mettlesome
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAMER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "58. All tied up"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
  • Similar words include: flush, level, eventide
  • Opposite of: uneven, odd
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "59. Smartphone setting that removes all color from the screen ... or a feature of this puzzle?"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "61. Currency in Chihuahua"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic unit of money in uruguay; equal to 100 centesimos
  • Similar words include: Chilean peso, Cuban peso, Mexican peso
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PESO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "62. Job for an actor"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group
  • Similar words include: office, use, part
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "63. Run in neutral"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
  • Similar words include: unfounded, out of work, dead
  • Opposite of: run, busy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "64. Ruminate (over)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "65. "A Bug's Life" bugs"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
  • Similar words include: emmet, ant, pismire
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "66. Out of battery"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that people who are no longer living
  • Similar words include: idle, short, numb
  • Opposite of: alive, live
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Scissors sound 4
2D 2. Heading on a list of tasks 4
3D 3. Lots and lots 4
4D 4. Age group that includes 2000s kids 4
5D 5. [Yes, I know that's a typo] 3
6D 6. Eel, at a Japanese restaurant 5
7D 7. Fable's takeaway 5
8D 8. "Just a moment!" 6
9D 9. Penultimate tournament round 10
10D 10. Last Greek letter 5
11D 11. Pitch that's hard to hit? 5
12D 12. Give a formal speech 5
13D 17. Heinie 4
14D 21. Sprayable disinfectant brand 5
15D 23. Officewide message 4
16D 24. Signal at sea 3
17D 25. "Um, sure" 4
18D 26. Covered in grease 4
19D 27. "You missed your chance" 10
20D 31. Single-stranded molecule 3
21D 32. Palindromic sib 3
22D 34. Tech review site 4
23D 35. Living on the ___ 4
24D 37. Big name in applesauce 5
25D 38. "Go away, fly!" 4
26D 39. Grass bought in rolls 3
27D 44. "The little blue pill" 6
28D 46. Branded fluffy slippers 4
29D 47. Things taken on a walk? 5
30D 48. Violate the Tenth Commandment 5
31D 49. Like many bodybuilders, according to B.M.I. alone 5
32D 50. Zac of "High School Musical" 5
33D 51. Handed out, as playing cards 5
34D 54. Low scorer on a pH test 4
35D 55. Constructed 4
36D 56. Name that can be parsed as "the the" in Spanish 4
37D 57. Portland college attended by Steve Jobs 4
38D 60. "Certainly!" 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Scissors sound"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small piece of anything (especially a piece that has been snipped off)
  • Similar words include: prune, snip off, crop
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Heading on a list of tasks"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Lots and lots"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sun (or solar disc) which was the deity of a monotheistic cult under the pharaoh akhenaten
  • Similar words include: Aten
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Age group that includes 2000s kids"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. [Yes, I know that's a typo]"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Eel, at a Japanese restaurant"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Fable's takeaway"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the significance of a story or event
  • Similar words include: lesson
  • Opposite of: immoral
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. "Just a moment!""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Penultimate tournament round"

10 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: semi, semifinal
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEMIFINALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Last Greek letter"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the ending of a series or sequence; --revelation
  • Similar words include: Z
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMEGA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Pitch that's hard to hit?"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Give a formal speech"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that talk pompously
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "17. Heinie"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: rump, fanny, nates
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUSH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Sprayable disinfectant brand"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "23. Officewide message"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a written proposal or reminder
  • Similar words include: memorandum, memoranda
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Signal at sea"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an internationally recognized distress signal in radio code
  • Similar words include: sol, so, soh
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. "Um, sure""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Covered in grease"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that containing an unusual amount of grease or oil
  • Similar words include: sebaceous, smarmy, oleaginous
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OILY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. "You missed your chance""

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "31. Single-stranded molecule"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (biochemistry) a long linear polymer of nucleotides found in the nucleus but mainly in the cytoplasm of a cell where it is associated with microsomes; it transmits genetic information from dna to the cytoplasm and controls certain chemical processes in the cell
  • Similar words include: ribonucleic acid
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. Palindromic sib"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a female person who has the same parents as another person
  • Similar words include: Si, atomic number 14, SI
  • Opposite of: brother
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "34. Tech review site"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Living on the ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the boundary of a surface
  • Similar words include: march, bound, butt on
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Big name in applesauce"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states feminist and suffragist (1793-1880)
  • Similar words include: Mott, Lucretia Coffin Mott
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOTTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. "Go away, fly!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that drive away by crying `shoo!'
  • Similar words include: shoo off, shoo away
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Grass bought in rolls"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
  • Similar words include: sodomite, sodomist, sward
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "44. "The little blue pill""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that virility drug (trade name viagra) used to treat erectile dysfunction in men
  • Similar words include: sildenafil, sildenafil citrate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIAGRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "46. Branded fluffy slippers"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Things taken on a walk?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
  • Similar words include: footfall, ill-use, ill-treat
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "48. Violate the Tenth Commandment"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wish, long, or crave for (something, especially the property of another person)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COVET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. Like many bodybuilders, according to B.M.I. alone"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that excessively fat
  • Similar words include: rotund, corpulent, weighty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBESE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Zac of "High School Musical""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. Handed out, as playing cards"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
  • Similar words include: handle, deal out, portion out
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "54. Low scorer on a pH test"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt
  • Similar words include: back breaker, caustic, Zen
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "55. Constructed"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that give certain properties to something
  • Similar words include: construct, relieve oneself, wee-wee
  • Opposite of: break, unmake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "56. Name that can be parsed as "the the" in Spanish"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "57. Portland college attended by Steve Jobs"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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, beating-reed instrument, Walter Reed
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "60. "Certainly!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an affirmative
  • Opposite of: no
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

33 Across Clues
38 Down Clues
71 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: July 27, 2026 at 06:47 AM