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Wednesday, August 26, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 26, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Modern lead-in to quit or bait 4
2A 5. Heat source for many hydrothermal vents 5
3A 10. Act all teenagerly, say 4
4A 14. [I have something to say ...] 4
5A 15. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders 5
6A 16. River by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre 4
7A 17. Enhancing "blemish" (3x) 10
8A 19. Rip apart 4
9A 20. Something to belly up to 3
10A 21. Tennis's "King of Clay," familiarly 4
11A 22. Cautious 4
12A 23. "My guess is ..." 5
13A 25. Teach, playfully (3x) 9
14A 29. Pinocchio's tell 4
15A 31. South American capital where Simón Bolívar was born 7
16A 32. ___ Wowie (cocktail with a rhyming name) 4
17A 33. PC key 3
18A 34. Wait for it! 3
19A 35. Sweet popcorn coating (4x) 13
20A 39. Sci-fi pilot ___ Solo 3
21A 40. Call, as a poker bet 3
22A 41. Roman author of "Metamorphoses" 4
23A 42. Fred Flintstone's boss at the rock quarry 7
24A 45. Tech review site 4
25A 46. Nut in Sausalito cookies (3x) 9
26A 48. Bundles in a stationery shop 5
27A 52. Pointed remarks 4
28A 53. "Famous" cookie entrepreneur 4
29A 55. Church fixture 3
30A 56. Black mark on a credit report, in brief 4
31A 57. "Unbelievable!" ... or what 17-, 25-, 35- and 46-Across are made from, letter-wise? 10
32A 60. Never Have I ___ (party game) 4
33A 61. April's ___ Day 5
34A 62. Bug on a pug 4
35A 63. Alien incubators in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" 4
36A 64. Acrimonious, as a breakup 5
37A 65. Units of verse 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Modern lead-in to quit or bait"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a feeling of intense anger
  • Similar words include: storm, furore, craze
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Heat source for many hydrothermal vents"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that molten rock in the earth's crust
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAGMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Act all teenagerly, say"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who wastes time
  • Similar words include: dilly-dallier, mope around, moon around
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. [I have something to say ...]"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc.
  • Similar words include: hem
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) a titan who was forced by zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders
  • Similar words include: telamon, atlas vertebra, book of maps
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATLAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. River by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a river in southwestern england rising in gloucestershire and flowing through bristol to empty into the estuary of the severn
  • Similar words include: Upper Avon, River Avon, Upper Avon River
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Enhancing "blemish" (3x)"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Rip apart"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tear or be torn violently
  • Similar words include: rip, pull, rive
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Something to belly up to"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
  • Similar words include: streak, cake, Browning automatic rifle
  • Opposite of: unbar
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Tennis's "King of Clay," familiarly"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Cautious"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
  • Similar words include: leery, mistrustful, suspicious
  • Opposite of: unwary
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WARY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. "My guess is ...""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Teach, playfully (3x)"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Pinocchio's tell"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
  • Similar words include: nozzle, intrude, olfactory organ
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. South American capital where Simón Bolívar was born"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of venezuela
  • Similar words include: capital of Venezuela
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARACAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. ___ Wowie (cocktail with a rhyming name)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the second largest of the hawaiian islands
  • Similar words include: Maui Island
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAUI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "33. PC key"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
  • Similar words include: EL, elevation, altitude
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "34. Wait for it!"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
  • Similar words include: peak, lead, tip off
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "35. Sweet popcorn coating (4x)"

13 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Sci-fi pilot ___ Solo"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that imperial dynasty that ruled china (most of the time from 206 bc to ad 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of chinese civilization
  • Similar words include: Han dynasty
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Call, as a poker bet"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
  • Similar words include: insure, find, go steady
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. Roman author of "Metamorphoses""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roman poet remembered for his elegiac verses on love (43 bc - ad 17)
  • Similar words include: Publius Ovidius Naso
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "42. Fred Flintstone's boss at the rock quarry"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Tech review site"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Nut in Sausalito cookies (3x)"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any tree of the genus macadamia
  • Similar words include: macadamia tree
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MACADAMIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "48. Bundles in a stationery shop"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large quantity of written matter
  • Similar words include: ream
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "52. Pointed remarks"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
  • Similar words include: thrusting, dig, thrust
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JABS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. "Famous" cookie entrepreneur"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hebrew shepherd and minor prophet
  • Similar words include: Book of Amos
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. Church fixture"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation
  • Similar words include: church bench
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "56. Black mark on a credit report, in brief"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. "Unbelievable!" ... or what 17-, 25-, 35- and 46-Across are made from, letter-wise?"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Never Have I ___ (party game)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that at any time
  • Similar words include: e'er, ever so, always
  • Opposite of: never
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "61. April's ___ Day"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tree (as opposed to shrub)
  • Similar words include: pergola, spindle, arbour
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARBOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "62. Bug on a pug"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "63. Alien incubators in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "64. Acrimonious, as a breakup"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dirty and disorderly
  • Similar words include: mussy
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MESSY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "65. Units of verse"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
  • Similar words include: base, groundwork, metrical unit
  • Opposite of: head
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Torah scholar 5
2D 2. Bridge Out ___ (sign) 5
3D 3. They have teeth but don't bite 5
4D 4. Ground-dwelling bird in a eucalyptus forest 3
5D 5. Chichén Itzá builders 4
6D 6. Taking charge? 6
7D 7. Happy-sounding advocacy grp. 5
8D 8. Scuff up, say 3
9D 9. Set, as a price 3
10D 10. Instrument associated with beans and salsa? 6
11D 11. Was a ham 9
12D 12. Scrunchied hairstyle 8
13D 13. "The ___" (final track listed on the original "Abbey Road") 3
14D 18. Audition 6
15D 22. Word that can precede cry or baby 3
16D 24. Picky, picky, picky 4
17D 26. Sch. attended by Steve Martin, James Dean and Jack Black (none of whom stayed to graduate) 4
18D 27. Housemother 6
19D 28. What cards with circles, stars, pluses, squares and wavy lines test for, in brief 3
20D 30. Day break? 6
21D 32. Got it all off his chest? 9
22D 33. Disc golf "hole"-in-one 3
23D 35. Capital city known as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans" 8
24D 36. Consider 4
25D 37. Disinclined 6
26D 38. Small bug with a strong-sounding name 4
27D 39. "Well, let me think" 3
28D 43. Herculean tasks 6
29D 44. Almost a quarter of the Super Bowl's run time 3
30D 45. Sometimes-uncredited appearances 6
31D 47. da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, for example 5
32D 49. Gift from a teacher's pet 5
33D 50. Free-for-all 5
34D 51. Result of a hot pursuit? 5
35D 54. Grand Ole ___ 4
36D 56. One leg press, say 3
37D 57. Uncle ___ 3
38D 58. Minecraft resource 3
39D 59. Command to a jumpy dog 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Torah scholar"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that spiritual leader of a jewish congregation; qualified to expound and apply jewish law
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RABBI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Bridge Out ___ (sign)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that having the leading position or higher score in a contest
  • Similar words include: onwards, leading, forward
  • Opposite of: backward, back
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHEAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. They have teeth but don't bite"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion
  • Similar words include: geared wheel, gear wheel, train
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Ground-dwelling bird in a eucalyptus forest"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various systems of units for measuring electricity and magnetism
  • Similar words include: Dromaius novaehollandiae, electromagnetic unit, Emu novaehollandiae
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Chichén Itzá builders"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of an american indian people of yucatan and belize and guatemala who had a culture (which reached its peak between ad 300 and 900) characterized by outstanding architecture and pottery and astronomy
  • Similar words include: Mayan language, Mayan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAYA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Taking charge?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Happy-sounding advocacy grp."

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Scuff up, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Set, as a price"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that inquire about
  • Similar words include: inquire, need, involve
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Instrument associated with beans and salsa?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow gourd containing pebbles or beans; often played in pairs
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARACA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Was a ham"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that exaggerate one's acting
  • Similar words include: ham it up, overact, ham
  • Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVERACTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Scrunchied hairstyle"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hair style that draws the hair back so that it hangs down in back of the head like a pony's tail
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PONYTAIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. "The ___" (final track listed on the original "Abbey Road")"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either extremity of something that has length
  • Similar words include: remainder, final stage, closing
  • Opposite of: begin, beginning
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: END

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Audition"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that trying something to find out about it
  • Similar words include: audition, trial, trial run
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRYOUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Word that can precede cry or baby"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Picky, picky, picky"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or related to the anus
  • Similar words include: anal retentive
  • Opposite of: oral
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Sch. attended by Steve Martin, James Dean and Jack Black (none of whom stayed to graduate)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Housemother"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MATRON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. What cards with circles, stars, pluses, squares and wavy lines test for, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Day break?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a nap in the early afternoon (especially in hot countries)
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIESTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. Got it all off his chest?"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Disc golf "hole"-in-one"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Capital city known as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans""

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capital and largest city of bosnia; scene of the assassination of francis ferdinand in 1914 which precipitated world war i
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARAJEVO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Consider"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
  • Similar words include: view as, hold, take for
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Disinclined"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (usually followed by `to') strongly opposed
  • Similar words include: loath, loth, antipathetic
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVERSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Small bug with a strong-sounding name"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slight but appreciable amount
  • Similar words include: pinch, touch, soupcon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MITE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. "Well, let me think""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Herculean tasks"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
  • Similar words include: parturiency, trade union movement, drive
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LABORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Almost a quarter of the Super Bowl's run time"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "45. Sometimes-uncredited appearances"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that engraving or carving in low relief on a stone (as in a brooch or ring)
  • Similar words include: cameo
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAMEOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, for example"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metrical unit with unstressed-stressed syllables
  • Similar words include: iamb, iambus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IAMBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Gift from a teacher's pet"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh
  • Similar words include: Malus pumila, orchard apple tree
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APPLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Free-for-all"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a noisy riotous fight
  • Similar words include: scrimmage, battle royal
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MELEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Result of a hot pursuit?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Grand Ole ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "56. One leg press, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal abbreviation of `representative'
  • Similar words include: repp
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "57. Uncle ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
  • Similar words include: surface-to-air missile
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Minecraft resource"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Command to a jumpy dog"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that kill intentionally and with premeditation
  • Similar words include: polish off, murder, forth
  • Opposite of: on
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OFF

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

37 Across Clues
39 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: August 26, 2026 at 04:08 AM

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

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

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: 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. Cartographers' concerns 4
2A 5. Go by 6
3A 11. Helpful skill for guessers 3
4A 14. Working obediently 4
5A 15. Mickey with an Oscar nomination for "The Wrestler" 6
6A 16. Champiñones ___ plancha (Spanish dish) 3
7A 17. [C/P]ause 11
8A 19. Droop 3
9A 20. Food mentioned in the Lord's Prayer 5
10A 21. What "Eat" stands for in the mnemonic "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" 4
11A 22. Buzz before a release 4
12A 23. Low-quality synthetic images, informally 6
13A 25. Prepare to drive, in golf 5
14A 27. [L/C]ure 12
15A 32. Result of touching poison ivy 4
16A 35. "The Deer Hunter" setting, in brief 3
17A 36. Old, as a joke 5
18A 37. Casual refusal 3
19A 38. "Way to go, kid!" 7
20A 41. Heir to the throne, maybe 3
21A 42. Like a good explanation, say 5
22A 44. Brain ___ 3
23A 45. Prominent features of tarsiers 4
24A 46. [M/H]inds 12
25A 50. Fitness fad popularized by Billy Blanks 5
26A 51. "Animal Farm" or "The Simpsons" 6
27A 55. Soccer great Mia 4
28A 57. Apartment with a high ceiling 4
29A 60. New beginning 5
30A 61. Pub order 3
31A 62. [Z/R]est 11
32A 64. Magic setting, in brief 3
33A 65. List of things to discuss 6
34A 66. Mother of a stable family? 4
35A 67. ___ pal 3
36A 68. Individual 6
37A 69. Hershey toffee bar 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Cartographers' concerns"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface (or part of it)
  • Similar words include: single-valued function, represent, map
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Go by"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: slip by, go along, pass
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELAPSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Helpful skill for guessers"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Working obediently"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Mickey with an Oscar nomination for "The Wrestler""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Champiñones ___ plancha (Spanish dish)"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. [C/P]ause"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Droop"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shape that sags
  • Similar words include: droop, sag down, flag
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Food mentioned in the Lord's Prayer"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
  • Similar words include: clams, staff of life, shekels
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BREAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. What "Eat" stands for in the mnemonic "Never Eat Soggy Waffles""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
  • Similar words include: Orient, due east, E
  • Opposite of: west
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Buzz before a release"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that blatant or sensational promotion
  • Similar words include: ballyhoo, hoopla, plug
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HYPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Low-quality synthetic images, informally"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Prepare to drive, in golf"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. [L/C]ure"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Result of touching poison ivy"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite; characterized by persistent itching and skin irritation
  • Similar words include: scratch, itchiness, urge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. "The Deer Hunter" setting, in brief"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Old, as a joke"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that urinate, of cattle and horses
  • Similar words include: cold, moth-eaten, dusty
  • Opposite of: fresh
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. Casual refusal"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. "Way to go, kid!""

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Heir to the throne, maybe"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male human offspring
  • Similar words include: Word, Logos, boy
  • Opposite of: daughter, girl
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Like a good explanation, say"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of being free of suspicion
  • Similar words include: clear up, sack, elucidate
  • Opposite of: overcast, unclear
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. Brain ___"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
  • Similar words include: putrefaction, molder, hogwash
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "45. Prominent features of tarsiers"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that opinion or judgment
  • Similar words include: eye, center, heart
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. [M/H]inds"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "50. Fitness fad popularized by Billy Blanks"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. "Animal Farm" or "The Simpsons""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that witty language used to convey insults or scorn; ; ; --jonathan swift
  • Similar words include: caustic remark, sarcasm, irony
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SATIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "55. Soccer great Mia"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "57. Apartment with a high ceiling"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
  • Similar words include: garret, pigeon loft, attic
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "60. New beginning"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that device for resetting instruments or controls
  • Similar words include: readjust
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "61. Pub order"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the united states an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "62. [Z/R]est"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "64. Magic setting, in brief"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "65. List of things to discuss"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to
  • Similar words include: docket, agendum, schedule
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGENDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "66. Mother of a stable family?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that female equine animal
  • Similar words include: maria, female horse
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "67. ___ pal"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters
  • Similar words include: gallon
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "68. Individual"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a human being
  • Similar words include: mortal, somebody, individual
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PERSON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "69. Hershey toffee bar"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Black ___, nickname for Kobe Bryant 5
2D 2. Company that created Pong 5
3D 3. Fish, roads or weapons that are long and thin 5
4D 4. Sneakiness 7
5D 5. Goof 3
6D 6. Brain or ear part 4
7D 7. Coolness, of a sort 4
8D 8. Magician's cry 6
9D 9. Many a Winter Olympian 6
10D 10. "Holy moley!" 3
11D 11. "No sweat!" 9
12D 12. ___ on the wrist 4
13D 13. Word with home or half 4
14D 18. What cologne may mask 4
15D 22. Injured 4
16D 24. Pub order 4
17D 26. Site for "unique and creative" items 4
18D 28. "Sleep is like a ___: It only comes to you if you ignore it": Gillian Flynn 3
19D 29. Big box store that merged with Sears in 2005 5
20D 30. Sunburn remedy 4
21D 31. X's, sometimes 4
22D 32. Ruler division 4
23D 33. Tall story 4
24D 34. Weekly reward for a strict dieter, maybe 9
25D 38. Keister, in Leicester 4
26D 39. Feathered accessory that won't constrict you 3
27D 40. Singer Redding 4
28D 43. First in a race? 4
29D 45. Regards highly 7
30D 47. Do a favor 6
31D 48. Worker overhead 6
32D 49. Cooking fat 4
33D 52. Chris with the 1991 hit "Wicked Game" 5
34D 53. Cool again, maybe 5
35D 54. Heavens 5
36D 55. Rest like a bat 4
37D 56. Jessica of "Fantastic Four" 4
38D 58. Marshy areas 4
39D 59. Task on a list 4
40D 62. Greatly surpass, as competitors in a race 3
41D 63. Raced 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Black ___, nickname for Kobe Bryant"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that arboreal snake of central and southern africa whose bite is often fatal
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAMBA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Company that created Pong"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Fish, roads or weapons that are long and thin"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
  • Similar words include: freeway, thruway, motorway
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIKES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Sneakiness"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that avoiding detection by moving carefully
  • Similar words include: stealing
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEALTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Goof"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to make a mistake or be incorrect
  • Similar words include: mistake, stray, drift
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Brain or ear part"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (anatomy) a somewhat rounded subdivision of a bodily organ or part
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOBE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Coolness, of a sort"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure
  • Similar words include: gloriole, halo, atmosphere
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Magician's cry"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of tempo) very fast
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRESTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Many a Winter Olympian"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. "Holy moley!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "No sweat!""

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. ___ on the wrist"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a blow from a flat object (as an open hand)
  • Similar words include: bang, smack, smacking
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Word with home or half"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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: Thomas Nelson Page, Sir Frederick Handley Page, varlet
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. What cologne may mask"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Injured"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
  • Similar words include: injury, ache, smart
  • Opposite of: be well
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HURT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Pub order"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a british imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 gills or 568.26 cubic centimeters
  • Similar words include: dry pint
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PINT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Site for "unique and creative" items"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. "Sleep is like a ___: It only comes to you if you ignore it": Gillian Flynn"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
  • Similar words include: Caterpillar, cast, honk
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Big box store that merged with Sears in 2005"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Sunburn remedy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that succulent plants having rosettes of leaves usually with fiber like hemp and spikes of showy flowers; found chiefly in africa
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. X's, sometimes"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
  • Similar words include: ten, X, decade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Ruler division"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
  • Similar words include: in, column inch, edge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Tall story"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
  • Similar words include: fib, tarradiddle, narration
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Weekly reward for a strict dieter, maybe"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Keister, in Leicester"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: rear end, buns, prat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Feathered accessory that won't constrict you"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
  • Similar words include: feather boa
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Singer Redding"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states inventor who manufactured the first elevator with a safety device (1811-1861)
  • Similar words include: genus Otis, Elisha Graves Otis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OTIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. First in a race?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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, X, cristal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Regards highly"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Do a favor"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that force somebody to do something
  • Similar words include: bind, accommodate, obligate
  • Opposite of: disoblige
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBLIGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. Worker overhead"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a craftsman who lays or repairs roofs
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROOFER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Cooking fat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that soft white semisolid fat obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of the hog
  • Similar words include: dramatize, pad, embroider
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LARD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Chris with the 1991 hit "Wicked Game""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Cool again, maybe"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fashion reminiscent of the past
  • Similar words include: retroactive, ex post facto
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RETRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Heavens"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies
  • Similar words include: aether, vinyl ether, divinyl ether
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHER

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36D: "55. Rest like a bat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a special way of doing something
  • Similar words include: bent, fall, cling
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HANG

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37D: "56. Jessica of "Fantastic Four""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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38D: "58. Marshy areas"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 100 fen equal 1 yuan in china
  • Similar words include: marshland, fenland, fen
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FENS

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39D: "59. Task on a list"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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40D: "62. Greatly surpass, as competitors in a race"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the upper side of the thighs of a seated person
  • Similar words include: overlap, wash, swosh
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAP

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41D: "63. Raced"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
  • Similar words include: incline, hightail it, pass
  • Opposite of: idle, malfunction
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

37 Across Clues
41 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

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Last updated: July 08, 2026 at 06:10 AM