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

Monday, October 12, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 12, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Moderate

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. "Let's not forget ..." 4
2A 5. Singer/actress Bareilles 4
3A 9. First part of a musical 4
4A 13. Close by 4
5A 14. Post-bath wrap 5
6A 15. Vegetable on a cob 4
7A 16. Electric vehicle from Japan 10
8A 18. God with a bow and arrow 4
9A 19. Brief 5
10A 20. Investment option for old age, in brief 3
11A 22. Mail carrier's assignment: Abbr. 3
12A 23. Signaling, as a performer 5
13A 24. Total mess 9
14A 27. Contents of a sleeve 3
15A 28. Birthstones for some Libras 5
16A 30. Quick kiss 4
17A 31. Movie princess with "space buns" 4
18A 33. Rapper ___ Kim 3
19A 34. Mercury, Venus or Mars 5
20A 35. Unpredictable emotional shift 9
21A 38. Striped kitty 5
22A 40. Main element in pewter 3
23A 41. "No ___, no foul" 4
24A 45. Olympic sword with a guarded tip 4
25A 46. Thick heads of hair 5
26A 48. Furious 3
27A 49. Celtics legend nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick" 9
28A 51. Kicks off, as a concert 5
29A 53. Singer Grande, informally 3
30A 54. Part of the Holy Trinity 3
31A 55. Tony winner Menzel 5
32A 56. ___-Cola 4
33A 58. Positioned precariously ... or where the ends of 16-, 24-, 35- and 49-Across can all be found 10
34A 62. Those, in Spanish 4
35A 63. Lollipop holder 5
36A 64. Great Plains tribe 4
37A 65. "Late Night" host Meyers 4
38A 66. ___ off (miffed) 4
39A 67. Little kid 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "Let's not forget ...""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in addition
  • Similar words include: as well, likewise, besides
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALSO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Singer/actress Bareilles"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. First part of a musical"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. Close by"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move towards
  • Similar words include: most, cheeseparing, close
  • Opposite of: far
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. Post-bath wrap"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOWEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "15. Vegetable on a cob"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in america in many varieties; the principal cereal in mexico and central and south america since pre-columbian times
  • Similar words include: corn whiskey, Zea mays, edible corn
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CORN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "16. Electric vehicle from Japan"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. God with a bow and arrow"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) god of love; son of aphrodite; identified with roman cupid
  • Similar words include: physical attraction, sexual desire, concupiscence
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EROS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Brief"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed
  • Similar words include: myopic, poor, curtly
  • Opposite of: retentive, long
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHORT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Investment option for old age, in brief"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a militant organization of irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive british forces from northern ireland and achieve a united independent ireland
  • Similar words include: Irish Republican Army, Provos, Provisional IRA
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Mail carrier's assignment: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Signaling, as a performer"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned
  • Similar words include: cue, remind, prompt
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. Total mess"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. Contents of a sleeve"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "28. Birthstones for some Libras"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color; some varieties are used as gemstones
  • Similar words include: opal
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "30. Quick kiss"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
  • Similar words include: batch, peck at, hatful
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PECK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "31. Movie princess with "space buns""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Rapper ___ Kim"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. Mercury, Venus or Mars"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force
  • Similar words include: immortal, god, divinity
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "35. Unpredictable emotional shift"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. Striped kitty"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cat with a grey or tawny coat mottled with black
  • Similar words include: tabby cat, brindle, brinded
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TABBY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. Main element in pewter"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
  • Similar words include: cannister, atomic number 50, tin can
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. "No ___, no foul""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
  • Similar words include: scathe, hurt, impairment
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Olympic sword with a guarded tip"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fencing sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Thick heads of hair"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a persian prophet who founded manichaeism (216-276)
  • Similar words include: head of hair, mane, man
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "48. Furious"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roused to anger; - mark twain
  • Similar words include: demented, disturbed, delirious
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "49. Celtics legend nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick""

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "51. Kicks off, as a concert"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
  • Similar words include: unfold, spread out, out-of-doors
  • Opposite of: close, fold
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. Singer Grande, informally"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "54. Part of the Holy Trinity"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "55. Tony winner Menzel"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "56. ___-Cola"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a south american shrub whose leaves are chewed by natives of the andes; a source of cocaine
  • Similar words include: Imogene Coca, coca plant, Erythroxylon coca
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COCA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "58. Positioned precariously ... or where the ends of 16-, 24-, 35- and 49-Across can all be found"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "62. Those, in Spanish"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "63. Lollipop holder"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an implement consisting of a length of wood
  • Similar words include: wedge, baffle, pin
  • Opposite of: dislodge, move
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STICK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "64. Great Plains tribe"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the siouan people inhabiting the valleys of the platte and missouri rivers in nebraska
  • Similar words include: Oto
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OTOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "65. "Late Night" host Meyers"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old testament) third son of adam and eve; given by god in place of the murdered abel
  • Similar words include: Set
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "66. ___ off (miffed)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that place on a tee
  • Similar words include: tee up, tee
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "67. Little kid"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native of yorkshire
  • Similar words include: nestling, shaver, tike
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TYKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. "Tom Lake" novelist Patchett 3
2D 2. It isn't working 7
3D 3. Raw fish dish at a Japanese restaurant 7
4D 4. "Citizen Kane" director Welles 5
5D 5. Sun, in Spanish 3
6D 6. Astounded state 3
7D 7. Shows again, as a broadcast 6
8D 8. "Clemency" actress Woodard 5
9D 9. Card that may be hidden "up one's sleeve" 3
10D 10. "You're right!" 7
11D 11. Russian revolutionary Leon 7
12D 12. City map next to a state map, e.g. 5
13D 14. Explosive block in Minecraft 3
14D 17. Mythical Greek ship 4
15D 21. Tree with "quaking" leaves 5
16D 23. Baseball great Ripken 3
17D 24. ___ Marian, Robin Hood's beloved 4
18D 25. Outstanding athlete 7
19D 26. Sound from the horse's mouth 5
20D 29. Cunning tactic 4
21D 32. "Jurassic Park" insect casing 5
22D 34. Eat by candlelight, say 4
23D 36. Follows an order 5
24D 37. Sailboat propeller 4
25D 38. Hybrid flower named after a drink 7
26D 39. Kind of jam in a Sacher torte 7
27D 42. In-room safe or a chocolate on the pillow, say 7
28D 43. Went hog wild 7
29D 44. Some E.R. workers 3
30D 46. Time piece? 6
31D 47. Sweet, fizzy drink 4
32D 49. Roller skate strings 5
33D 50. Give a leg up 5
34D 52. Amelia Earhart, for one 5
35D 55. Squid's defensive output 3
36D 57. Residue on a grill 3
37D 59. Reason for overtime 3
38D 60. Anxious condition, in brief 3
39D 61. Hive occupant 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. "Tom Lake" novelist Patchett"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. It isn't working"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that time available for ease and relaxation
  • Similar words include: leisure time
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEISURE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Raw fish dish at a Japanese restaurant"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that very thinly sliced raw fish
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SASHIMI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. "Citizen Kane" director Welles"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Sun, in Spanish"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid
  • Similar words include: soh, so, colloidal suspension
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Astounded state"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration
  • Similar words include: veneration, reverence, fear
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AWE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Shows again, as a broadcast"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. "Clemency" actress Woodard"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Card that may be hidden "up one's sleeve""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: 1, wizard, super
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. "You're right!""

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make right or correct
  • Similar words include: make up, objurgate, counterbalance
  • Opposite of: incorrect, wrong
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CORRECT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Russian revolutionary Leon"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that russian revolutionary and communist theorist who helped lenin and built up the army; he was ousted from the communist party by stalin and eventually assassinated in mexico (1879-1940)
  • Similar words include: Lev Davidovich Bronstein, Leon Trotsky
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TROTSKY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. City map next to a state map, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small picture inserted within the bounds or a larger one
  • Similar words include: gusset, insert
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INSET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. Explosive block in Minecraft"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that explosive consisting of a yellow crystalline compound that is a flammable toxic derivative of toluene
  • Similar words include: trinitrotoluene
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "17. Mythical Greek ship"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Tree with "quaking" leaves"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of several trees of the genus populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASPEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Baseball great Ripken"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. ___ Marian, Robin Hood's beloved"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a female domestic
  • Similar words include: maidservant, amah, housemaid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "25. Outstanding athlete"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "26. Sound from the horse's mouth"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the characteristic sounds made by a horse
  • Similar words include: whinny, nicker, whicker
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEIGH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Cunning tactic"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker
  • Similar words include: stratagem, gambit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLOY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. "Jurassic Park" insect casing"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deep yellow color
  • Similar words include: gold, brownish-yellow, yellow-brown
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMBER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "34. Eat by candlelight, say"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have supper; eat dinner
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Follows an order"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be obedient to
  • Similar words include: obey
  • Opposite of: disobey
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBEYS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Sailboat propeller"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
  • Similar words include: wind instrument, wrap, twist
  • Opposite of: unwind
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WIND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Hybrid flower named after a drink"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Kind of jam in a Sacher torte"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that asian tree having clusters of usually white blossoms and edible fruit resembling the peach
  • Similar words include: peach, yellowish pink, apricot tree
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APRICOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. In-room safe or a chocolate on the pillow, say"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that pleasantness resulting from agreeable conditions
  • Similar words include: agreeableness
  • Opposite of: disagreeableness
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMENITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Went hog wild"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Some E.R. workers"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding einsteinium with alpha particles (md is the current symbol for mendelevium but mv was formerly the symbol)
  • Similar words include: Free State, atomic number 101, Mv
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Time piece?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
  • Similar words include: minute of arc, infinitesimal, instant
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINUTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Sweet, fizzy drink"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
  • Similar words include: soda ash, sal soda, sodium carbonate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SODA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Roller skate strings"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment)
  • Similar words include: intertwine, plait, twine
  • Opposite of: untwine
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LACES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Give a leg up"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of giving hope or support to someone
  • Similar words include: rise, hike up, encourage
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOOST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Amelia Earhart, for one"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight
  • Similar words include: pilot burner, buffer, pilot program
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PILOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "55. Squid's defensive output"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Residue on a grill"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "59. Reason for overtime"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
  • Similar words include: link up, wed, splice
  • Opposite of: untie, disconnect
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "60. Anxious condition, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "61. Hive occupant"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEE

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: October 12, 2026 at 11:07 AM

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers September 02, 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: Tricky

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. "Melts in your mouth" candies ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme 6
2A 7. Mattress or memo follower 3
3A 10. Maine city near the mouth of the Kennebec River 4
4A 14. Mama Morton of "Chicago," for one 6
5A 15. Meaning of "mono-" 3
6A 16. Marco Polo made his way across it 4
7A 17. Much of Mali 6
8A 18. Meet and glance off a bumper, as a pool ball might 8
9A 20. Multicolored implements in many art drawers 12
10A 22. Markdown on Cyber Monday, e.g. 4
11A 24. Maroon and mahogany, for two 6
12A 25. Man's "monkey suit" 3
13A 26. Mom-to-aunt moniker 3
14A 28. Muscular part of a marathoner 3
15A 29. Marshall Mathers ___ Eminem 3
16A 32. Met melody 4
17A 34. Make sure not to miss it! 3
18A 36. Made eyes at in the manner of a satyr 5
19A 38. Marauder's Map encryption phrase in "Harry Potter" 15
20A 42. Minced-meat cake 5
21A 43. Male meower 3
22A 44. "Mega cool!," in modern lingo 4
23A 45. Multiple-choice selection on a midterm, say: Abbr. 3
24A 46. Making out openly or a mobile device, in brief 3
25A 49. Modern-day name for the American Messenger Co. 3
26A 51. Make free (of), maybe 3
27A 52. Munificent man 6
28A 54. Maximum measure of attractiveness, say 4
29A 56. M.L.B. M.V.P. nicknamed the "Commerce Comet" 12
30A 60. Midwest state that's home to Moline 8
31A 61. Many-toothed metal tool 6
32A 65. Much-heard sound from a horse in motion 4
33A 66. Martial arts master Bruce 3
34A 67. Maneuver a monoplane, e.g. 6
35A 68. Mechanics might provide them for their work: Abbr. 4
36A 69. Modern modem inits. 3
37A 70. Maniacs, maybe 6

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "Melts in your mouth" candies ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "7. Mattress or memo follower"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
  • Similar words include: embellish, fill out, lodgings
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Maine city near the mouth of the Kennebec River"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
  • Similar words include: bathtub, bathing tub, bathroom
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BATH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Mama Morton of "Chicago," for one"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Meaning of "mono-""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: unrivaled, 1, ace
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Marco Polo made his way across it"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the largest continent with 60% of the earth's population; it is joined to europe on the west to form eurasia; it is the site of some of the world's earliest civilizations
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Much of Mali"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the world's largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in northern africa
  • Similar words include: Sahara Desert
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAHARA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Meet and glance off a bumper, as a pool ball might"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a glancing rebound
  • Similar words include: carom, resile, bound
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RICOCHET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Multicolored implements in many art drawers"

12 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Markdown on Cyber Monday, e.g."

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular instance of buying or selling
  • Similar words include: flock, allot, sight
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Maroon and mahogany, for two"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that spectacles that are darkened or polarized to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun
  • Similar words include: nuance, shade off, shade
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHADES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Man's "monkey suit""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that semiformal evening dress for men
  • Similar words include: black tie, tuxedo, dinner jacket
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Mom-to-aunt moniker"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a female person who has the same parents as another person
  • Similar words include: Si, Systeme International d'Unites, si
  • Opposite of: brother
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Muscular part of a marathoner"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
  • Similar words include: branch, wooden leg, pegleg
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "29. Marshall Mathers ___ Eminem"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. Met melody"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an elaborate song for solo voice
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Make sure not to miss it!"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. Made eyes at in the manner of a satyr"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that look at with amorous intentions
  • Similar words include: ogle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OGLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Marauder's Map encryption phrase in "Harry Potter""

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. Minced-meat cake"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small flat mass of chopped food
  • Similar words include: cake
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PATTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Male meower"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (ethnic slur) offensive and derogatory name for a black man who is abjectly servile and deferential to whites
  • Similar words include: tomcat, turkey cock, tom turkey
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. "Mega cool!," in modern lingo"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that street names for marijuana
  • Similar words include: sess, skunk, smoke
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "45. Multiple-choice selection on a midterm, say: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the nervous system of vertebrates that controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles and heart and glands
  • Similar words include: Associate in Nursing, autonomic nervous system, AN
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Making out openly or a mobile device, in brief"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lightweight consumer electronic device that looks like a hand-held computer but instead performs specific tasks; can serve as a diary or a personal database or a telephone or an alarm clock etc.
  • Similar words include: organizer, organiser, personal organizer
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. Modern-day name for the American Messenger Co."

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Make free (of), maybe"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that relieve from
  • Similar words include: free, disembarrass
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "52. Munificent man"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who has or gives or receives a part or a share
  • Similar words include: partaker
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHARER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "54. Maximum measure of attractiveness, say"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "56. M.L.B. M.V.P. nicknamed the "Commerce Comet""

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "60. Midwest state that's home to Moline"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a midwestern state in north-central united states
  • Similar words include: Land of Lincoln, Prairie State, IL
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ILLINOIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "61. Many-toothed metal tool"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a handsaw for cutting with the grain of the wood
  • Similar words include: splitsaw
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIPSAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "65. Much-heard sound from a horse in motion"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound of a horse's hoofs hitting on a hard surface
  • Similar words include: clippety-clop, clip-clop, clump
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "66. Martial arts master Bruce"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in america (born in 1957)
  • Similar words include: Lee Yuen Kam, lee side, Bruce Lee
  • Opposite of: windward
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "67. Maneuver a monoplane, e.g."

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that operate an airplane
  • Similar words include: pilot, fly
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVIATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "68. Mechanics might provide them for their work: Abbr."

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard time in the 5th time zone west of greenwich, reckoned at the 75th meridian; used in the eastern united states
  • Similar words include: EST, Eastern Standard Time, Eastern Time
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "69. Modern modem inits."

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a generic name for digital lines that are provided by telephone companies to their local subscribers and that carry data at high speeds
  • Similar words include: digital subscriber line
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DSL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "70. Maniacs, maybe"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an insane person
  • Similar words include: maniac, madman, lunatic
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Metric measurements: Abbr. 3
2D 2. Motorists make up this org. 3
3D 3. Maximum degree in math 3
4D 4. Molière's or Mamet's field 5
5D 5. Maxims discouraging misconduct 6
6D 6. Minor mishap 4
7D 7. Many a mailbox locale 5
8D 8. Marmot or marmoset 6
9D 9. Month multiplied by 120 6
10D 10. Musters support for, as a mission 5
11D 11. Men's tennis champ with a Presidential Medal of Freedom 4
12D 12. Measure of a membership 4
13D 13. Milliners manufacture them 4
14D 19. Milwaukie and Mount Hood are here 6
15D 21. Matter to mull over 5
16D 22. Malodorous Malaysian fruit 6
17D 23. Manifests in the material world 6
18D 25. Major metropolis on a bay of the same name 5
19D 27. Map word in Marseille 3
20D 29. Main man for Bill Clinton, 1993-2001 6
21D 30. Maintain, as movie footage 6
22D 31. Made a basic math calculation 5
23D 33. Magician's or marionettist's performance 3
24D 35. Movement of money digitally from bank to bank, in brief 3
25D 37. Meander mindlessly (about) 3
26D 39. Mild-mannered characteristic? 6
27D 40. Miss badly, maybe 5
28D 41. Music magnifier at a concert 3
29D 47. Made a mere 24 hours ago 6
30D 48. Military groups that meet in battle 6
31D 50. Mouth moistener 6
32D 52. Moves merrily 5
33D 53. Mobile stand at a meeting 5
34D 55. Meh ... or medium-temp 5
35D 56. Miniature maze runners 4
36D 57. Major misfortunes 4
37D 58. Medical mass 4
38D 59. Means of transport in a mine 4
39D 62. Musician Cooke who sang "You Send Me" 3
40D 63. Made a meal of 3
41D 64. Ming-Na of 1998's "Mulan" 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Metric measurements: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metric unit of length equal to one thousandth of a meter
  • Similar words include: millimeter, millimetre, mm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Motorists make up this org."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Maximum degree in math"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that last or greatest in an indefinitely large series
  • Similar words include: n-th
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Molière's or Mamet's field"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
  • Similar words include: dramatic event, dramatic play, play
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Maxims discouraging misconduct"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
  • Similar words include: morality, lesson, ethics
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Minor mishap"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sharp protuberance
  • Similar words include: rip, tear, rent
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Many a mailbox locale"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PORCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Marmot or marmoset"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
  • Similar words include: fleshly, beast, creature
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANIMAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Month multiplied by 120"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period of 10 years
  • Similar words include: decennary, X, 10
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DECADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Musters support for, as a mission"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
  • Similar words include: stake, rear, support
  • Opposite of: advance, front
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BACKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Men's tennis champ with a Presidential Medal of Freedom"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states tennis player who was the first black to win united states and english singles championships (1943-1993)
  • Similar words include: Arthur Ashe, Arthur Robert Ashe
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASHE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Measure of a membership"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a relative position or degree of value in a graded group
  • Similar words include: level, grade, tier up
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Milliners manufacture them"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
  • Similar words include: lid, hat, chapeau
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "19. Milwaukie and Mount Hood are here"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in northwestern united states on the pacific
  • Similar words include: Beaver State, OR
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREGON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Matter to mull over"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an important question that is in dispute and must be settled
  • Similar words include: yield, outcome, result
  • Opposite of: recall
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISSUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "22. Malodorous Malaysian fruit"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tree of southeastern asia having edible oval fruit with a hard spiny rind
  • Similar words include: Durio zibethinus, durion, durian tree
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DURIAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "23. Manifests in the material world"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have an existence, be extant
  • Similar words include: exist, live, survive
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXISTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "25. Major metropolis on a bay of the same name"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a resort city in western florida; located on tampa bay on the gulf of mexico
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAMPA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Map word in Marseille"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Main man for Bill Clinton, 1993-2001"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Maintain, as movie footage"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. Made a basic math calculation"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
  • Similar words include: append, tot, summate
  • Opposite of: subtract, take away
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADDED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Magician's or marionettist's performance"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
  • Similar words include: work, human activity, routine
  • Opposite of: refrain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Movement of money digitally from bank to bank, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a newt in its terrestrial stage of development
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Meander mindlessly (about)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months
  • Similar words include: anxiety reaction, jazz around, generalized anxiety disorder
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Mild-mannered characteristic?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text
  • Similar words include: dash, hyphenate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HYPHEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Miss badly, maybe"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feel sadness
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOURN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. Music magnifier at a concert"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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29D: "47. Made a mere 24 hours ago"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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30D: "48. Military groups that meet in battle"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
  • Similar words include: Army, USA, regular army
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARMIES

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31D: "50. Mouth moistener"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches
  • Similar words include: spittle, spit
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALIVA

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32D: "52. Moves merrily"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a gait in which steps and hops alternate
  • Similar words include: hop, cut, skip over
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKIPS

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33D: "53. Mobile stand at a meeting"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASEL

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34D: "55. Meh ... or medium-temp"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that moderately warm
  • Similar words include: halfhearted, half-hearted, lukewarm
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEPID

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35D: "56. Miniature maze runners"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
  • Similar words include: computer mouse, mouse, black eye
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MICE

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36D: "57. Major misfortunes"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
  • Similar words include: ill, ailment, complaint
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ILLS

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37D: "58. Medical mass"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid
  • Similar words include: curdle, coagulate, clog
  • Opposite of: homogenize
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOT

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38D: "59. Means of transport in a mine"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a conveyance that transports passengers or freight in carriers suspended from cables and supported by a series of towers
  • Similar words include: trolley car, tramway, tramcar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRAM

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39D: "62. Musician Cooke who sang "You Send Me""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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40D: "63. Made a meal of"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
  • Similar words include: use up, eat up, rust
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATE

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41D: "64. Ming-Na of 1998's "Mulan""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a common cyst of the skin; filled with fatty matter (sebum) that is secreted by a sebaceous gland that has been blocked
  • Similar words include: sebaceous cyst, steatocystoma, pilar cyst
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEN

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Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

37 Across Clues
41 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

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Last updated: September 02, 2026 at 08:00 AM