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

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 23, 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. Swiss currency 5
2A 6. Kind of clef used for the viola 4
3A 10. Command to Rover 4
4A 14. Word after lucky or little 5
5A 15. Reserve in advance 4
6A 16. Only PG-rated in terms of sexual content, say 4
7A 17. Menzel with a Tony for "Wicked" 5
8A 18. ___ fresca (Latin American refreshment) 4
9A 19. Neural signal conductor 4
10A 20. One might involve a false account 10
11A 22. Judgmental sounds 4
12A 23. Outrage 3
13A 24. Grp. that adjusts oil production 4
14A 26. $100 bills, slangily 6
15A 30. Alias 8
16A 34. Casual greeting 5
17A 35. The Rev. Leonard Clement, in an Agatha Christie novel 5
18A 36. Hide ___ hair 3
19A 37. Emotional state 4
20A 38. Rash 5
21A 39. Target of Glade or Febreze 4
22A 40. Tidy updo, say 3
23A 41. Deices, as a road 5
24A 42. Wipe out 5
25A 43. Notable features of the Charleston, S.C., skyline 8
26A 45. Like some roofs 6
27A 46. Eye irritation 4
28A 47. Some small batteries 3
29A 48. Member of an ancient Peruvian empire 4
30A 50. Doesn't lie, exactly ... or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters 13
31A 57. Babe in a stable 4
32A 58. Nondairy spread 4
33A 59. "Blue" locale in a 1977 Linda Ronstadt classic 5
34A 60. Big rig 4
35A 61. Sit (down) heavily 4
36A 62. Montréal traffic sign 5
37A 63. Peak in Greek myth 4
38A 64. Huff and puff 4
39A 65. "Geez-o-Pete!" 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Swiss currency"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRANC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Kind of clef used for the viola"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a singer whose voice lies in the alto clef
  • Similar words include: countertenor, contralto
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Command to Rover"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that continuing or remaining in a place or state
  • Similar words include: stay put, delay, remain
  • Opposite of: depart, change
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Word after lucky or little"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (judeo-christian and islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of god; tempter of mankind; master of hell
  • Similar words include: ogre, annoy, Lucifer
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEVIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Reserve in advance"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
  • Similar words include: script, rule book, leger
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOOK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Only PG-rated in terms of sexual content, say"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that correct by punishment or discipline
  • Similar words include: naturalize, domesticise, domesticize
  • Opposite of: wild
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Menzel with a Tony for "Wicked""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. ___ fresca (Latin American refreshment)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that largest known toad species; native to central america; valuable destroyer of insect pests
  • Similar words include: agua toad, Bufo marinus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGUA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Neural signal conductor"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron
  • Similar words include: axone
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AXON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. One might involve a false account"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Judgmental sounds"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that utter `tsk,' `tut,' or `tut-tut,' as in disapproval
  • Similar words include: tsk, tut, tut-tut
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Outrage"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
  • Similar words include: choler, ira, anger
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. Grp. that adjusts oil production"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum
  • Similar words include: Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPEC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "26. $100 bills, slangily"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Alias"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Casual greeting"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. The Rev. Leonard Clement, in an Agatha Christie novel"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a roman catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VICAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. Hide ___ hair"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "37. Emotional state"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
  • Similar words include: temper, modality, climate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "38. Rash"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that excessively quick
  • Similar words include: precipitous, precipitant, overhasty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HASTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "39. Target of Glade or Febreze"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. Tidy updo, say"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small rounded bread either plain or sweet
  • Similar words include: roll
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Deices, as a road"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
  • Similar words include: saltiness, salt, table salt
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "42. Wipe out"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove from memory or existence
  • Similar words include: score out, wipe out, wipe off
  • Opposite of: record
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "43. Notable features of the Charleston, S.C., skyline"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
  • Similar words include: steeple, spire
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEEPLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. Like some roofs"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of a roof) constructed with a single slope on each side of the ridge supported at the end by a gable or vertical triangular portion of an end wall
  • Opposite of: hipped
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GABLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "46. Eye irritation"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid
  • Similar words include: hordeolum, eye infection, sty
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STYE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "47. Some small batteries"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an associate degree in applied science
  • Similar words include: Associate in Applied Science, AA, aa
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "48. Member of an ancient Peruvian empire"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a ruler of the incas (or a member of his family)
  • Similar words include: Inka, Incan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "50. Doesn't lie, exactly ... or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters"

13 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. Babe in a stable"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a young horse
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "58. Nondairy spread"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter
  • Similar words include: margarine, marge, oleomargarine
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLEO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "59. "Blue" locale in a 1977 Linda Ronstadt classic"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake (term used mainly in mississippi and louisiana)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAYOU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "60. Big rig"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "61. Sit (down) heavily"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the noise of a rounded object dropping into a liquid without a splash
  • Similar words include: plump down, plunk down, plump
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "62. Montréal traffic sign"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "63. Peak in Greek myth"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mouth or mouthlike opening
  • Similar words include: operating system, osmium, atomic number 76
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "64. Huff and puff"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the noise made by a short puff of steam (as from an engine)
  • Similar words include: heave, trouser, puff
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PANT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "65. "Geez-o-Pete!""

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Bank-protecting agcy. 4
2D 2. Make over 4
3D 3. Tel ___ 4
4D 4. Number of digits in a Social Security number 4
5D 5. Transparent quality 7
6D 6. Taper off 5
7D 7. Apple's apple, for one 4
8D 8. College campus offering 4
9D 9. "All right! Enough already!" 8
10D 10. New York's ___ Island 6
11D 11. One might involve false accounts 10
12D 12. In a frenzy 4
13D 13. Yearnings 4
14D 21. Yearbook div. 3
15D 25. For each 3
16D 26. Detangles, in a way 5
17D 27. Big whoop 5
18D 28. Bad calls? 10
19D 29. It took more than 70 yrs. to complete its first edition 3
20D 30. They may be raised in defiance 5
21D 31. Follower of the Gospels? 4
22D 32. Most dangerous animal in Maine, it's said 5
23D 33. Messed up 5
24D 35. Word of farewell in old Rome 4
25D 38. Comet discovered in 1995 8
26D 39. Globe 3
27D 41. Secretly watch, with "on" 3
28D 42. Region of Oakland and Alameda 7
29D 44. Plus other things, in Latin 6
30D 45. Rip-roaring good time 3
31D 47. Take in a stray, say 5
32D 48. "In that event ..." 4
33D 49. Vetoes 4
34D 51. Jazzy Fitzgerald 4
35D 52. Like the color of a safety vest, typically 4
36D 53. "Hyde and ___" (1955 Bugs Bunny short) 4
37D 54. Literary Jane 4
38D 55. Things stepped on by bad ballroom dancers 4
39D 56. The "R" of R.B.G. 4

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Bank-protecting agcy."

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a federally sponsored corporation that insures accounts in national banks and other qualified institutions
  • Similar words include: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FDIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Make over"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that do over, as of (part of) a house
  • Similar words include: reconstruct, refashion, remake
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Tel ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Number of digits in a Social Security number"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
  • Similar words include: ennead, ball club, club
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Transparent quality"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
  • Similar words include: limpidity, lucidness, clearness
  • Opposite of: unclearness, opacity
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLARITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Taper off"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make less active or intense
  • Similar words include: slack, slake, die away
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Apple's apple, for one"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a company emblem or device
  • Similar words include: logotype
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. College campus offering"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area
  • Similar words include: duty tour, go, term of enlistment
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOUR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. "All right! Enough already!""

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. New York's ___ Island"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. One might involve false accounts"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. In a frenzy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that frenzied as if possessed by a demon
  • Similar words include: possessed, demoniac, berserk
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Yearnings"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a yearning for something or to do something
  • Similar words include: yen, yearn, ache
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Yearbook div."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element of the alkali metal group; turns yellow in air; occurs in celestite and strontianite
  • Similar words include: Sr, atomic number 38, sr
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "25. For each"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Detangles, in a way"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Big whoop"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
  • Similar words include: call out, holler, squall
  • Opposite of: whisper
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Bad calls?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. It took more than 70 yrs. to complete its first edition"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an unabridged dictionary constructed on historical principles
  • Similar words include: Oxford English Dictionary, O.E.D.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. They may be raised in defiance"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
  • Similar words include: fist, clenched fist
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FISTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Follower of the Gospels?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a new testament book describing the development of the early church from christ's ascension to paul's sojourn at rome
  • Similar words include: represent, pretend, bit
  • Opposite of: refrain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Most dangerous animal in Maine, it's said"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called `elk' in europe and `moose' in north america
  • Similar words include: elk, European elk, Alces alces
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Messed up"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Word of farewell in old Rome"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
  • Similar words include: valley
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Comet discovered in 1995"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Globe"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Secretly watch, with "on""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors
  • Similar words include: sleuth, espy, snoop
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Region of Oakland and Alameda"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Plus other things, in Latin"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "45. Rip-roaring good time"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity; relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature; the ability to diffuse readily; and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container
  • Similar words include: shoot a line, gasconade, gasolene
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Take in a stray, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans
  • Similar words include: embrace, take in, dramatize
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADOPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. "In that event ...""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Vetoes"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding curium with carbon ions; 7 isotopes are known
  • Similar words include: no, atomic number 102, No
  • Opposite of: yes
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Jazzy Fitzgerald"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Like the color of a safety vest, typically"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "53. "Hyde and ___" (1955 Bugs Bunny short)"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs; young born furred and with open eyes
  • Similar words include: rabbit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "54. Literary Jane"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shallow salt lake in south central australia about 35 feet below sea level; the largest lake in the country and the lowest point on the continent
  • Similar words include: Lake Eyre
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "55. Things stepped on by bad ballroom dancers"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of the digits of the foot
  • Similar words include: toe, toenail
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "56. The "R" of R.B.G."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
  • Similar words include: pathos, Sultan of Swat, commiseration
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUTH

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

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 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: June 23, 2026 at 07:03 AM

Friday, May 8, 2026

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: 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.

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