Thursday, May 14, 2026 – LA Times Crossword Answers & Hints

LA Times Crossword – May 14, 2026 (Thursday)

Today’s crossword puzzle is fun and a little tricky.

If you are stuck, don’t worry!

Here you can find the answers and help.

Crossword puzzles help us:

• Learn new words
• Improve spelling
• Think smart

Theme Answer: WOODCUT

Clue: Artistic printing method, and a feature of rows 2, 5, 11, and 14 in this puzzle

Answer: WOODCUT

Explanation:

A woodcut is a way of printing pictures. The artist carves a design into wood, puts ink on it, and prints it on paper. Today’s puzzle hides types of wood in four rows.

Across Clues

6A. Thurman of “Pretty Lethal”

Answer: UMA

Explanation: Uma Thurman is a famous actress.

13A. Moral principle

Answer: ETHIC

Explanation: An ethic is a rule about what is right or wrong.

14A. “MAS*H” setting, for short

Answer: KOR

Explanation: MASH takes place in Korea (KOR = short form).

15A. “Butterfly Dance” artist

Answer: YANNI

Explanation: Yanni is a music composer.

19A. College where Robert Frost taught English

Answer: AMHERST

Explanation: Robert Frost was a famous poet who taught at Amherst College.

22A. NYC home of Matisse’s “Landscape at Collioure”

Answer: MOMA

Explanation: MoMA is the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

25A. Taylor-Joy of “The Northman”

Answer: ANYA

Explanation: Anya Taylor-Joy is a movie actress.

34A. “Downton Abbey” cook

Answer: DAISY

Explanation: Daisy is a character in the TV show Downton Abbey.

38A. Here, in Honduras

Answer: ACA

Explanation: In Spanish, “aca” means “here.”

41A. Mod About You polish maker

Answer: OPI

Explanation: OPI is a brand that makes nail polish.

42A. Mexican sandwich

Answer: TORTA

Explanation: A torta is a Mexican sandwich.

50A. Electrically adaptable

Answer: AC/DC

Explanation: AC/DC means it can work with both types of electric current.

55A. Sazerac options

Answer: RYES

Explanation: Rye is a type of grain used in drinks.

58A. Abu Dhabi, e.g.

Answer: EMIRATE

Explanation: Abu Dhabi is one of the Emirates in the UAE.

61A. Expanse crossed by Odysseus

Answer: IONIAN SEA

Explanation: In Greek stories, Odysseus crossed the Ionian Sea.

65A. Like van Gogh and Vermeer

Answer: DUTCH

Explanation: Both artists were from the Netherlands (Dutch).

70A. Blades for some Olympians

Answer: EPEES

Explanation: An épée is a type of fencing sword used in the Olympics.

Down Clues

1D. Super Mario Bros. console

Answer: NES

Explanation: NES is a Nintendo gaming system.

2D. Jazzy James

Answer: ETTA

Explanation: Etta James was a famous singer.

3D. Guitar accessory that may create vibrato

Answer: WHAMMY BAR

Explanation: A whammy bar is used on guitars to change sound.

4D. Knights’ neighbors

Answer: BISHOPS

Explanation: In chess, bishops sit next to knights.

5D. Blueprint

Answer: SCHEMA

Explanation: A schema is a plan or design.

9D. Prehistoric supercontinent

Answer: PANGAEA

Explanation: Pangaea was one giant land before continents split.

11D. Moriarty, to Holmes

Answer: ENEMY

Explanation: Moriarty is the enemy of Sherlock Holmes.

18D. Latvian capital

Answer: RIGA

Explanation: Riga is the capital city of Latvia.

36D. Hormel product

Answer: SPAM

Explanation: Spam is a canned meat product.

43D. Elements of a strategy

Answer: TACTICS

Explanation: Tactics are small actions used in a plan.

51D. Easy part of a sky in a jigsaw puzzle

Answer: CLOUD

Explanation: Puzzle sky areas are often blue with clouds.

54D. Oscar winner Witherspoon

Answer: REESE

Explanation: Reese Witherspoon is an actress.

60D. Brontë orphan

Answer: EYRE

Explanation: Jane Eyre is a famous novel character.

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 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
• Across Clues Table (34 clues)
• Across Clues - Detailed Hints
• Down Clues Table (36 clues)
• Down Clues - Detailed Hints
• Expert Solving Strategies
• Today's Puzzle Statistics

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. Criticizes, in modern lingo	7
2A	8. Unruffled	6
3A	14. "Not to worry ..."	8
4A	16. Chichi	6
5A	17. One away from one's duties?	8
6A	18. French exit	6
7A	19. Hollywood is on it: Abbr.	3
8A	20. Secures, in a way	5
9A	22. Flubs	5
10A	23. Create a crispy crust for, say	7
11A	25. Coolers, for short	3
12A	26. "Jeez!"	5
13A	29. Touchy topic	8
14A	31. One of two in Raphael's "Sistine Madonna"	6
15A	33. Cartoonist who popularized the Democratic donkey	4
16A	34. "Bad hair day" hair	3
17A	36. Address no longer than 18 minutes	7
18A	38. Prepares for company, maybe	7
19A	40. Networking assets	3
20A	41. Second City district, with "the"	4
21A	43. Plumbing and welding, e.g.	6
22A	44. Really nasty fall?	8
23A	47. Date unlikely to be on a calendar	5
24A	48. Mammoth's home, for short	3
25A	49. Where to go for a run	7
26A	51. Peabody-winning journalist Steve	5
27A	53. Many a Chilango	5
28A	54. Formula 1 fig.	3
29A	57. "I'm this-a way!"	6
30A	59. Great depression?	8
31A	61. "Would you look at the time?!"	6
32A	62. Scrumdiddlyumptious	8
33A	63. Like some interests and stocks	6
34A	64. Feeds the kitty, say	7

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Criticizes, in modern lingo"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HATESON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "8. Unruffled"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ATEASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "14. "Not to worry ...""

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: THERENOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "16. Chichi"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that imposingly fashionable and elegant
• Similar words include: swank
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SWANKY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. One away from one's duties?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TAXEXILE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. French exit"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position
• Similar words include: sally
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SORTIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. Hollywood is on it: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that standard time in the 8th time zone west of greenwich, reckoned at the 120th meridian west; used in far western states of the united states
• Similar words include: Pacific Time, Pacific Standard Time
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Secures, in a way"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that one of the muslim people of north africa; of mixed arab and berber descent; converted to islam in the 8th century; conqueror of spain in the 8th century
• Similar words include: moor, moorland, wharf
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MOORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Flubs"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a socially awkward or tactless act
• Similar words include: slipperiness, skid, chemise
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SLIPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Create a crispy crust for, say"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PANSEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "25. Coolers, for short"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a radioactive element of the actinide series; found in uranium ores
• Similar words include: alternating current, atomic number 89, actinium
• Opposite of: direct current

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. "Jeez!""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AWMAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "29. Touchy topic"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SORESPOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. One of two in Raphael's "Sistine Madonna""

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a sweet innocent baby
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CHERUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Cartoonist who popularized the Democratic donkey"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that united states political cartoonist (1840-1902)
• Similar words include: Thomas Nast
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. "Bad hair day" hair"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors
• Similar words include: wipe up, mow, swob
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Address no longer than 18 minutes"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TEDTALK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. Prepares for company, maybe"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that put (things or places) in order
• Similar words include: tidy up, neaten, groom
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NEATENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. Networking assets"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an agency in the department of justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the united states
• Similar words include: Indiana, atomic number 49, IN
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: INS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Second City district, with "the""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that fastener consisting of a metal ring for lining a small hole to permit the attachment of cords or lines
• Similar words include: grummet, loop topology, intertwine
• Opposite of: open circuit, uncoil

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: LOOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Plumbing and welding, e.g."

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
• Similar words include: trade in, sell, craft
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TRADES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. Really nasty fall?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ICESTORM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "47. Date unlikely to be on a calendar"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a date; usually with a member of the opposite sex
• Similar words include: assignation, rendezvous
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TRYST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Mammoth's home, for short"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NHL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. Where to go for a run"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SKIAREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Peabody-winning journalist Steve"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KROFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "53. Many a Chilango"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a spanish title or form of address for a man; similar to the english `mr' or `sir'
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SENOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "54. Formula 1 fig."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the ratio of the distance traveled (in kilometers) to the time spent traveling (in hours)
• Similar words include: kilometres per hour, kilometers per hour, km/h
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KPH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "57. "I'm this-a way!""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: YOOHOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "59. Great depression?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof
• Similar words include: sink, swallow hole
• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SINKHOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "61. "Would you look at the time?!""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: IMLATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. Scrumdiddlyumptious"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TODIEFOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Like some interests and stocks"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that provide with power and authority
• Similar words include: vest, invest, robe
• Opposite of: divest

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: VESTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. Feeds the kitty, say"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CATSITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No.	Clue	Letters
1D	1. It's usually followed by an "s"	4
2D	2. Indicators of awareness	4
3D	3. Ding thing?	4
4D	4. Bygone "before"	3
5D	5. Books that go into intimate detail?	10
6D	6. It might bring you to tears	5
7D	7. "Good riddance"	6
8D	8. Jerk	3
9D	9. All slam dunks	4
10D	10. Accessory turned down on a cap	6
11D	11. Humor without a traditional punch line	10
12D	12. Create ripple effects, in a way	10
13D	13. Scallops can have hundreds of tiny blue ones	4
14D	15. "It's a date!"	6
15D	21. It's a wrap!	5
16D	23. Hairstylist's concern	4
17D	24. Go back to the beginning	5
18D	26. Whence the line "Beware the ides of March" in "Julius Caesar"	4
19D	27. Comment from one who's going along	10
20D	28. Where to see fresh coats of white?	10
21D	30. First gear?	10
22D	32. Rorschach patterns	5
23D	35. "I'm this-a way!"	4
24D	37. Goofballs	5
25D	39. ___ Theatre, Atlanta art house named for a fictional estate	4
26D	42. White-collar figure	6
27D	45. Pointy-topped red-and-green headwear	6
28D	46. Tuber that's the source of tapioca	6
29D	50. ___ Rousey, first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo	5
30D	51. National capital that's home to Mykhailivska Square	4
31D	52. Schlep	4
32D	54. ___ Annan, former U.N. secretary general	4
33D	55. Something that's hatched	4
34D	56. Half of some matching sets	4
35D	58. Work that traces the evolution of lang. over 1,000 years	3
36D	60. "And ___ long gone when ___ next to me" (Taylor Swift lyric)	3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. It's usually followed by an "s""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a protocol (utilizing tcp) to transfer hypertext requests and information between servers and browsers
• Similar words include: hypertext transfer protocol
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HTTP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Indicators of awareness"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AHAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Ding thing?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the words of something written
• Similar words include: text edition, textual matter, textbook
• Opposite of: trade edition

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TEXT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Bygone "before""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ERE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Books that go into intimate detail?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SEXMANUALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. It might bring you to tears"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the bulb of an onion plant
• Similar words include: Allium cepa, onion plant
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ONION

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "Good riddance""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NOLOSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Jerk"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
• Similar words include: fucking, piece of tail, Eastern Samoa
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. All slam dunks"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
• Similar words include: deuce, two, 2
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TWOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Accessory turned down on a cap"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that one of two flaps attached to a cap to keep the ears warm
• Similar words include: earflap
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EARLAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Humor without a traditional punch line"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ANTICOMEDY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Create ripple effects, in a way"

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SKIPSTONES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Scallops can have hundreds of tiny blue ones"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that opinion or judgment
• Similar words include: center, middle, optic
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EYES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. "It's a date!""

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: WEREON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. It's a wrap!"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that any of various thermoplastic resins used to make things
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SARAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Hairstylist's concern"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that something determined in relation to something that includes it
• Similar words include: parting, percentage, take off
• Opposite of: wholly

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PART

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Go back to the beginning"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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!

18D: "26. Whence the line "Beware the ides of March" in "Julius Caesar""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACTI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Comment from one who's going along"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: WHENINROME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. Where to see fresh coats of white?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MEDSCHOOLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. First gear?"

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: STARTERKIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Rorschach patterns"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a blemish made by dirt
• Similar words include: stain, smirch, slur
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BLOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. "I'm this-a way!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PSST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Goofballs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group
• Similar words include: queer bird, odd fellow, odd man out
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KOOKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "39. ___ Theatre, Atlanta art house named for a fictional estate"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a village in eastern ireland (northwest of dublin); seat of irish kings until 6th century
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TARA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "42. White-collar figure"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a clergyman in christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the holy orders
• Similar words include: non-Christian priest
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PRIEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "45. Pointy-topped red-and-green headwear"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ELFHAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "46. Tuber that's the source of tapioca"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics
• Similar words include: gari, tapioca plant, bitter cassava
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MANIOC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "50. ___ Rousey, first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RONDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "51. National capital that's home to Mykhailivska Square"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KYIV

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "52. Schlep"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a capacious bag or basket
• Similar words include: tote bag, tug, holdall
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "54. ___ Annan, former U.N. secretary general"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KOFI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "55. Something that's hatched"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
• Similar words include: game, diagram, plot of land
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PLOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "56. Half of some matching sets"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "58. Work that traces the evolution of lang. over 1,000 years"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an unabridged dictionary constructed on historical principles
• Similar words include: O.E.D., Oxford English Dictionary
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "60. "And ___ long gone when ___ next to me" (Taylor Swift lyric)"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in texas and kansas)
• Similar words include: helium, he, atomic number 2
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HES

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

34 Across Clues

36 Down Clues

70 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.

• Complete NYT Crossword Archive
• Advanced Solving Techniques
• Common Crossword Words

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: May 08, 2026 at 05:39 AM

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 03, 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
• Across Clues Table (64 clues)
• Across Clues - Detailed Hints
• Down Clues Table (74 clues)
• Down Clues - Detailed Hints
• Expert Solving Strategies
• Today's Puzzle Statistics

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. First person, in Austria	3
2A	4. Pressing activity, for short?	3
3A	7. Cleared to proceed	4
4A	11. Perched on	7
5A	18. Place for pigs to wallow	7
6A	20. Shawarma wrap	4
7A	21. "I'm here to learn"	7
8A	22. In sync	7
9A	23. Moisture barrier supplies	13
10A	26. 23-Across, oddly?	10
11A	28. Vert. counterpart	3
12A	29. Geological layers	6
13A	30. They got the votes	3
14A	31. Saint Barthélemy, par exemple	3
15A	32. Sugar suffix	3
16A	34. Father of Deimos	4
17A	35. A hard job	10
18A	40. 35-Across, oddly?	10
19A	43. Catch in a sting	6
20A	44. Cleveland-to-Akron dir.	3
21A	45. Ryder of "Stranger Things"	6
22A	46. Office memo starter	4
23A	48. Leprechaun's land	4
24A	50. Conflict-averse	7
25A	55. Fictional diary writer	12
26A	60. 55-Across, oddly?	8
27A	61. A as in Austria	3
28A	62. Lock lips, in London	4
29A	63. Drive-___ menu	4
30A	65. Like the best bets	6
31A	66. Abandoned	4
32A	68. Off-center	4
33A	70. Time gone by	4
34A	72. Ending with the name Ann or Nan	4
35A	73. "Reason" given in a parental "explanation"	6
36A	76. Spots for grazing	4
37A	78. Pond scum, e.g.	4
38A	80. Craven behind the camera	3
39A	81. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author	8
40A	83. 81-Across, oddly?	12
41A	87. Political understanding	7
42A	88. ___ Ed	4
43A	89. Book before Nehemiah	4
44A	90. Boot camp shout	6
45A	92. Stanford and Cal joined it in 2024	3
46A	95. From the heart, in a way	6
47A	99. Conan and others	10
48A	103. 99-Across, oddly?	10
49A	105. "Essays of ___" (19th-century collection)	4
50A	106. Summer hours in N.Y.C.	3
51A	107. You smelt it!	3
52A	108. Inits. fittingly filling the blanks of Obam_ _ _re	3
53A	109. Luxor Temple deity	6
54A	112. Take an ax to	3
55A	114. Client's sales agent, in brief	10
56A	118. 114-Across, oddly?	13
57A	121. Unspoken set of rules between dudes	7
58A	122. N next to the gearshift	7
59A	123. Ozzy Osbourne's "___, I'm Coming Home"	4
60A	124. More dimwitted	7
61A	125. Make more appealing, as something otherwise plain	7
62A	126. "Glad that's over!"	4
63A	127. Spot for charity, say, in brief	3
64A	128. Newsroom staffers, for short	3

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. First person, in Austria"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ICH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "4. Pressing activity, for short?"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an emergency procedure consisting of external cardiac massage and artificial respiration; the first treatment for a person who has collapsed and has no pulse and has stopped breathing; attempts to restore circulation of the blood and prevent death or brain damage due to lack of oxygen
• Similar words include: cardiac resuscitation, kiss of life, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CPR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "7. Cleared to proceed"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OKED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "11. Perched on"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SATATOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "18. Place for pigs to wallow"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MUDHOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "20. Shawarma wrap"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that usually small round bread that can open into a pocket for filling
• Similar words include: pocket bread
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PITA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "21. "I'm here to learn""

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TEACHME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "22. In sync"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that adjust or accustom to; bring into harmony with
• Similar words include: attune
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ATTUNED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "23. Moisture barrier supplies"

13 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PLASTICSHEETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "26. 23-Across, oddly?"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: GIVESADARN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "28. Vert. counterpart"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "29. Geological layers"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock)
• Similar words include: socio-economic class, level, social class
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: STRATA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "30. They got the votes"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an agency in the department of justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the united states
• Similar words include: In, atomic number 49, inch
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: INS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Saint Barthélemy, par exemple"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ILE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Sugar suffix"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Father of Deimos"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that (greek mythology) greek god of war; son of zeus and hera; identified with roman mars
• Similar words include: ar, are
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ARES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. A hard job"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NOEASYTASK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "40. 35-Across, oddly?"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: STICKYPADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "43. Catch in a sting"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that take or catch as if in a snare or trap
• Similar words include: frame, ensnare, snare
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ENTRAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "44. Cleveland-to-Akron dir."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the compass point midway between south and southeast
• Similar words include: sou'-sou'-east, south southeast
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "45. Ryder of "Stranger Things""

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: WINONA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "46. Office memo starter"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: INRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "48. Leprechaun's land"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an early name of ireland that is now used in poetry
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ERIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "50. Conflict-averse"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NODRAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "55. Fictional diary writer"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BRIDGETJONES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "60. 55-Across, oddly?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: LOWDIGIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "61. A as in Austria"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "62. Lock lips, in London"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
• Similar words include: buss, osculate, kiss
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SNOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "63. Drive-___ menu"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: THRU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "65. Like the best bets"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that free from danger or the risk of harm
• Similar words include: dependable, secure, safe
• Opposite of: out, dangerous

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SAFEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "66. Abandoned"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
• Similar words include: provide, remaining, left over
• Opposite of: disinherit, enter

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: LEFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "68. Off-center"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that turned or twisted toward one side; - g.k.chesterton
• Similar words include: cockeyed, skew-whiff, haywire
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AWRY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "70. Time gone by"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that time long past
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: YORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "72. Ending with the name Ann or Nan"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ETTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "73. "Reason" given in a parental "explanation""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ISAYSO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "76. Spots for grazing"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a unit of length of thread or yarn
• Similar words include: pasture, ley, pastureland
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: LEAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "78. Pond scum, e.g."

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
• Similar words include: shoot, celluloid, pic
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: FILM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "80. Craven behind the camera"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: WES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "81. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KENKESEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "83. 81-Across, oddly?"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CHILDSUPPORT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "87. Political understanding"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an informal alliance between countries
• Similar words include: entente cordiale
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ENTENTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42A: "88. ___ Ed"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PHYS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43A: "89. Book before Nehemiah"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a jewish priest and scribe sent by the persian king to restore jewish law and worship in jerusalem
• Similar words include: Book of Ezra
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EZRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44A: "90. Boot camp shout"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TENHUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45A: "92. Stanford and Cal joined it in 2024"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a command that is the primary provider of air combat weapon systems to the united states air force; operates fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, battle-management, and rescue aircraft
• Similar words include: Air Combat Command
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46A: "95. From the heart, in a way"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that of or relating to the aorta
• Similar words include: aortic
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AORTAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47A: "99. Conan and others"

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a member of an uncivilized people
• Similar words include: churl, Goth, boor
• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BARBARIANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48A: "103. 99-Across, oddly?"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: THINKPIECE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49A: "105. "Essays of ___" (19th-century collection)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that english essayist (1775-1834)
• Similar words include: Charles Lamb, Lamb
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ELIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50A: "106. Summer hours in N.Y.C."

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EDT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51A: "107. You smelt it!"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

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!

52A: "108. Inits. fittingly filling the blanks of Obam_ _ _re"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53A: "109. Luxor Temple deity"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AMONRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54A: "112. Take an ax to"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that make or shape as with an axe
• Similar words include: hew out
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55A: "114. Client's sales agent, in brief"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACCOUNTREP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56A: "118. 114-Across, oddly?"

13 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NOTQUITERIGHT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57A: "121. Unspoken set of rules between dudes"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BROCODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58A: "122. N next to the gearshift"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that one who does not side with any party in a war or dispute
• Similar words include: inert, indifferent, electroneutral
• Opposite of: positive, chromatic

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NEUTRAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59A: "123. Ozzy Osbourne's "___, I'm Coming Home""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that informal terms for a mother
• Similar words include: mummy, ma, mom
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60A: "124. More dimwitted"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that of an angle; between 90 and 180 degrees
• Similar words include: obtuse, purblind, slow
• Opposite of: acute

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OBTUSER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61A: "125. Make more appealing, as something otherwise plain"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: DRESSUP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62A: "126. "Glad that's over!""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PHEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63A: "127. Spot for charity, say, in brief"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a protein manufactured exclusively by the prostate gland; psa is produced for the ejaculate where it liquifies the semen and allows sperm cells to swim freely; elevated levels of psa in blood serum are associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer
• Similar words include: prostate specific antigen
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64A: "128. Newsroom staffers, for short"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a rapid automatic system to detect plastic explosives in passengers' luggage using x-ray technology and computers; designed for use in airports
• Similar words include: explosive detection system, male erecticle dysfunction, erectile dysfunction
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No.	Clue	Letters
1D	1. "Just picture this!"	7
2D	2. Rudely interrupt, as a dance partner	7
3D	3. Man cave fixture	7
4D	4. Snow jobs	4
5D	5. Heartfelt ask	4
6D	6. Website with an alien logo	6
7D	7. Treat badly, in a way	7
8D	8. Potter's furnace	4
9D	9. Uber ride info, informally	3
10D	10. Small amount in the kitchen	4
11D	11. Adds with a spoon, say	7
12D	12. Org. for J. Robert Oppenheimer	3
13D	13. U.S.S.R. news source	4
14D	14. Zwei quadrupled	4
15D	15. What one might take or beat	6
16D	16. World Golf Hall-of-Famer Mark	6
17D	17. Caressed	6
18D	19. Sector of a color wheel	3
19D	24. "Yer darn ___!"	6
20D	25. Pert blurt	4
21D	27. Cry often accompanied by a sigh	4
22D	33. Cut-rate, in brand names	5
23D	36. Parched	4
24D	37. Named names	4
25D	38. Belgian battle site in W.W. I	5
26D	39. "Neato!"	4
27D	40. Sounding like taffeta, say	6
28D	41. More than suspects	5
29D	42. When tripled, "You get the picture"	5
30D	47. Sicilian spewer	4
31D	49. Part of A.A.R.P.: Abbr.	3
32D	51. Loaded (with)	4
33D	52. When teething might end	6
34D	53. Produce aisle device	6
35D	54. Swear	6
36D	55. Mimic	6
37D	56. Chewy chocolate candy brand	6
38D	57. One sporting a onesie	6
39D	58. Loose-cheeked, as a mastiff	5
40D	59. Fantastic beast	4
41D	60. Jarringly sensational	5
42D	64. "u slay me"	4
43D	67. Day care charge	4
44D	69. Blue blood vessels?	6
45D	71. "What ___ can I say?"	4
46D	74. German actress Berger with a career spanning eight decades	5
47D	75. Big name in blenders	5
48D	77. Reluctant to mingle, say	3
49D	79. Classic elevator tunes	5
50D	82. Start of a choosing rhyme	5
51D	84. "The time ___ hand"	4
52D	85. Stage item	4
53D	86. ___-mutuel betting	4
54D	88. Kick starter?	6
55D	91. Didn't go it alone, say	7
56D	93. One of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes	7
57D	94. Magazine fig.	4
58D	96. Fragrant garden hybrid	7
59D	97. Gave consent	7
60D	98. The lords in "The 12 Days of Christmas," e.g.	7
61D	99. Noggin	4
62D	100. Vegan milk source	6
63D	101. Mob scene extra	6
64D	102. French financial institution	6
65D	104. Jazz subgenre for Wynton Marsalis	6
66D	110. Daily grinds	4
67D	111. Puts on	4
68D	113. Chicken (out)	4
69D	114. "I'm in such a fix"	4
70D	115. Metro regions, informally	4
71D	116. ___ bene	4
72D	117. The Horned Frogs of Ft. Worth	3
73D	119. 19th of 24	3
74D	120. "Why, why, why?!"	3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. "Just picture this!""

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
• Similar words include: opine, ideate, suppose
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: IMAGINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Rudely interrupt, as a dance partner"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CUTINON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Man cave fixture"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HDTVSET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Snow jobs"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an argument opposed to a proposal
• Similar words include: hustle, sting, confidence trick
• Opposite of: pro

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CONS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Heartfelt ask"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a humble request for help from someone in authority
• Similar words include: supplication
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PLEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Website with an alien logo"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: REDDIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Treat badly, in a way"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
• Similar words include: crush, persecute, suppress
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OPPRESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Potter's furnace"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a furnace for firing or burning or drying such things as porcelain or bricks
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KILN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Uber ride info, informally"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a terrorist organization organized in 1959 by student activists who were dissatisfied with the moderate nationalism of the traditional basque party; want to create an independent homeland in spain's western pyrenees
• Similar words include: Euskadi ta Askatasuna, Basque Homeland and Freedom, Basque Fatherland and Liberty
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ETA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Small amount in the kitchen"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that distinctive and stylish elegance
• Similar words include: scud, style, elan
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: DASH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Adds with a spoon, say"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: STIRSIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Org. for J. Robert Oppenheimer"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a former executive agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the united states
• Similar words include: Atomic Energy Commission
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AEC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. U.S.S.R. news source"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Zwei quadrupled"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACHT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "15. What one might take or beat"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: THERAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "16. World Golf Hall-of-Famer Mark"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OMEARA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "17. Caressed"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that stroke or caress gently
• Similar words include: pet
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PETTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "19. Sector of a color wheel"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength
• Similar words include: chromaticity, imbue
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "24. "Yer darn ___!""

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TOOTIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "25. Pert blurt"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an impudent or insolent rejoinder
• Similar words include: sassing, SAS, mouth
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "27. Cry often accompanied by a sigh"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism
• Similar words include: ala, regrettably, unfortunately
• Opposite of: fortunately, luckily

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ALAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Cut-rate, in brand names"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ECONO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Parched"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that lacking sufficient water or rainfall
• Similar words include: desiccate, waterless, desiccated
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ARID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Named names"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that north american woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the chinese ginseng
• Similar words include: tattle, American ginseng, spill the beans
• Opposite of: keep quiet

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SANG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Belgian battle site in W.W. I"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that battle in world war i (1917); an allied offensive which eventually failed because tanks bogged down in the waterlogged soil of flanders; germans introduced mustard gas which interfered with the allied artillery
• Similar words include: first battle of Ypres, second battle of Ypres, battle of Ypres
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: YPRES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. "Neato!""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a funeral lament sung with loud wailing
• Similar words include: nifty, lancinate, sharp
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Sounding like taffeta, say"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that resembling a sustained `sh' or soft whistle
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SWISHY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. More than suspects"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
• Similar words include: have sex, eff, get laid
• Opposite of: ignore

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KNOWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. When tripled, "You get the picture""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: YADDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Sicilian spewer"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an inactive volcano in sicily; last erupted in 1961; the highest volcano in europe (10,500 feet)
• Similar words include: bunsen, bunsen burner, Mount Etna
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ETNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. Part of A.A.R.P.: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that place (flax, hemp, or jute) in liquid so as to promote loosening of the fibers from the woody tissue
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "51. Loaded (with)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that most frequent or common
• Similar words include: plethoric, predominant, prevailing
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RIFE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. When teething might end"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AGETWO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Produce aisle device"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a form of address for a man
• Similar words include: Mr, Mr.
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MISTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Swear"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes
• Similar words include: take the stand, manifest, bear witness
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ATTEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. Mimic"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that with considerable certainty; without much doubt
• Similar words include: in all likelihood, in all probability, probably
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BELIKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Chewy chocolate candy brand"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RIESEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "57. One sporting a onesie"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
• Similar words include: baby, babe
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: INFANT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "58. Loose-cheeked, as a mastiff"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that having sagging folds of flesh beneath the chin or lower jaw
• Similar words include: loose-jowled, double-chinned
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: JOWLY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "59. Fantastic beast"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a cruel wicked and inhuman person
• Similar words include: monster, demon, devil
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OGRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "60. Jarringly sensational"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that horrible in fierceness or savagery
• Similar words include: shocking
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: LURID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "64. "u slay me""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ROFL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "67. Day care charge"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a native of yorkshire
• Similar words include: shaver, tiddler, kid
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TYKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44D: "69. Blue blood vessels?"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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!

45D: "71. "What ___ can I say?""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ELSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46D: "74. German actress Berger with a career spanning eight decades"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SENTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47D: "75. Big name in blenders"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OSTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48D: "77. Reluctant to mingle, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a quick throw
• Similar words include: timid, diffident, unsure
• Opposite of: confident

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SHY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49D: "79. Classic elevator tunes"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MUZAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50D: "82. Start of a choosing rhyme"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EENIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51D: "84. "The time ___ hand""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ISAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52D: "85. Stage item"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling
• Similar words include: shore, airplane propeller, shore up
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PROP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53D: "86. ___-mutuel betting"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PARI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54D: "88. Kick starter?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that someone who propels a boat with a pole
• Similar words include: wagerer, bettor, better
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PUNTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55D: "91. Didn't go it alone, say"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HADHELP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56D: "93. One of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a member of the muskhogean people formerly living in alabama
• Similar words include: Chahta
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CHOCTAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57D: "94. Magazine fig."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CIRC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58D: "96. Fragrant garden hybrid"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TEAROSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59D: "97. Gave consent"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that yield to another's wish or opinion
• Similar words include: submit, give in, acquiesce
• Opposite of: dissent

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACCEDED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60D: "98. The lords in "The 12 Days of Christmas," e.g."

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that someone who bounds or leaps (as in competition)
• Similar words include: leaper, bounder
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: LEAPERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61D: "99. Noggin"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that any of various edible seeds of plants of the family leguminosae used for food
• Similar words include: edible bean, attic, bean plant
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BEAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62D: "100. Vegan milk source"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that small bushy deciduous tree native to asia and north africa having pretty pink blossoms and highly prized edible nuts enclosed in a hard green hull; cultivated in southern australia and california
• Similar words include: Amygdalus communis, Prunus amygdalus, sweet almond
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ALMOND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63D: "101. Mob scene extra"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that troublemaker who participates in a violent disturbance of the peace; someone who rises up against the constituted authority
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RIOTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64D: "102. French financial institution"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BANQUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65D: "104. Jazz subgenre for Wynton Marsalis"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NEOBOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66D: "110. Daily grinds"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a groove or furrow (especially one in soft earth caused by wheels)
• Similar words include: groove, oestrus, rut
• Opposite of: anestrus

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RUTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

67D: "111. Puts on"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that affected manners intended to impress others
• Similar words include: gentle wind, melody, aura
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AIRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68D: "113. Chicken (out)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy
• Similar words include: chicken, weakly interacting massive particle, crybaby
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: WIMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69D: "114. "I'm in such a fix""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AHME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

70D: "115. Metro regions, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: URBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71D: "116. ___ bene"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NOTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

72D: "117. The Horned Frogs of Ft. Worth"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TCU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

73D: "119. 19th of 24"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the 19th letter of the greek alphabet
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TAU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

74D: "120. "Why, why, why?!""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: GAH

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

64 Across Clues

74 Down Clues

138 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.

• Complete NYT Crossword Archive
• Advanced Solving Techniques
• Common Crossword Words

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: May 03, 2026 at 06:15 AM