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

Thursday, August 20, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 20, 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. Sound like heaven 4
2A 5. Game of observation for travel 6
3A 11. Ad free 3
4A 14. Brief in pants 4
5A 15. Correct thoroughly 6
6A 16. Bad feel 3
7A 17. Try to place connoisseurs? 11
8A 19. Cells in compound 3
9A 20. Checks with style 5
10A 21. To cop 3
11A 22. Competition, for starters 5
12A 24. York ___ 5
13A 26. Place recording 6
14A 27. Signals over game 5
15A 29. Maturity approaching 5
16A 31. Crows to relatives 6
17A 32. Free booze 3
18A 33. Confidentiality of letters? 4
19A 37. "Done well" 5
20A 38. Short for "info flight" 3
21A 39. Sponge bath 5
22A 40. Nothing doing 4
23A 41. Say "minus C" 3
24A 42. Set off 6
25A 43. Practice Japanese 5
26A 45. Equal roughly 5
27A 46. Into light 6
28A 49. Nags about noise? 5
29A 51. Land of Spot 5
30A 52. On-off signs 3
31A 53. Lines some over draw 5
32A 57. For repentance some feel 3
33A 58. Details insignificant contests 11
34A 61. Spending limits it 3
35A 62. Forum discussion, popular once 6
36A 63. Cut short 4
37A 64. Rock-___ 3
38A 65. Out with ate, ate, ate 6
39A 66. Website gift custom 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Sound like heaven"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
  • Similar words include: dwell, mouth organ, mouth harp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Game of observation for travel"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an overland journey by hunters (especially in africa)
  • Similar words include: hunting expedition, campaign
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAFARI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Ad free"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Brief in pants"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Correct thoroughly"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Bad feel"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that aromatic bulb used as seasoning
  • Similar words include: garlic, trouble, pain
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Try to place connoisseurs?"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Cells in compound"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Checks with style"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cloth having a crisscross design
  • Similar words include: tartan
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. To cop"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have ownership or possession of
  • Similar words include: have, possess, ain
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OWN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Competition, for starters"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. York ___"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Place recording"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that workplace for the teaching or practice of an art
  • Similar words include: studio apartment
  • Opposite of: location
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUDIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. Signals over game"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
  • Similar words include: tusk, trump, automobile horn
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HORNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "29. Maturity approaching"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used
  • Similar words include: mature, advanced, ripe
  • Opposite of: green
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIPER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Crows to relatives"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail
  • Similar words include: devour, prey, guttle
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAVENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. Free booze"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
  • Similar words include: wry, prohibitionist, teetotal
  • Opposite of: wet, sweet
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Confidentiality of letters?"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "37. "Done well""

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed
  • Similar words include: assassin, assassinator
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRAVO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "38. Short for "info flight""

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "39. Sponge bath"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the dried fibrous part of the fruit of a plant of the genus luffa; used as a washing sponge or strainer
  • Similar words include: loofah, loufah sponge, luffa
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOFA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. Nothing doing"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Say "minus C""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "42. Set off"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that bear the expenses of
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEFRAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "43. Practice Japanese"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. Equal roughly"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "46. Into light"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "49. Nags about noise?"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "51. Land of Spot"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small island
  • Similar words include: isle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISLET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "52. On-off signs"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in south central united states
  • Similar words include: okeh, Oklahoma, Sooner State
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "53. Lines some over draw"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a just detectable amount
  • Similar words include: decipher, hint, hunt
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "57. For repentance some feel"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that european strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
  • Similar words include: repent, regret, sorrow
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "58. Details insignificant contests"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "61. Spending limits it"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tight-fitting headdress
  • Similar words include: hood, detonator, capital
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "62. Forum discussion, popular once"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "63. Cut short"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "64. Rock-___"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "65. Out with ate, ate, ate"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that live like a pig, in squalor
  • Similar words include: farrow, devour, guttle
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIGGED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "66. Website gift custom"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. URL starter 4
2D 2. Asian sea currently undergoing replenishment efforts 4
3D 3. Civil rights icon Parks 4
4D 4. Shift the gears of, in a way ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues 12
5D 5. ID in some data breaches 3
6D 6. Elite H.S. class covering the Constitution 5
7D 7. Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down clues 15
8D 8. Loads 4
9D 9. Babe in the Hundred Acre Wood 3
10D 10. One advocated for by the National Prison Project 6
11D 11. Whittled (down) 5
12D 12. Biblical mount 5
13D 13. It's worth remembering! 5
14D 18. "No idea" 6
15D 23. Distinctive expression ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues 12
16D 25. Feature of San Francisco's Lombard Street 3
17D 26. Mole, e.g. 3
18D 27. Firm 4
19D 28. Like many cricket fields 4
20D 30. Plan to contribute to, for short 3
21D 31. One of 1,909 for Willie Mays, for short 3
22D 34. "___ the Explorer" 4
23D 35. Some distance away 4
24D 36. Declare 3
25D 38. "Oh no! A mouse!" 3
26D 39. What the second number indicates in men's jeans sizes 6
27D 41. Univ. with an annual Mystery Hunt 3
28D 42. Eager response to "Wanna join?" 3
29D 44. Goes nuts for 6
30D 46. Around 5
31D 47. Garden-variety 5
32D 48. Wasn't paying attention 5
33D 50. Lauder of cosmetics 5
34D 52. Designer Cassini 4
35D 54. "I don't really care / If ya think I'm strange / I ___ gonna change": Joan Jett 4
36D 55. N.F.L. commentator Collinsworth 4
37D 56. Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g. 4
38D 59. Letter after chi 3
39D 60. The "S" of E.S.T.: Abbr. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. URL starter"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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. Asian sea currently undergoing replenishment efforts"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Civil rights icon Parks"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
  • Similar words include: genus Rosa
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Shift the gears of, in a way ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues"

12 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. ID in some data breaches"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Elite H.S. class covering the Constitution"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down clues"

15 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Loads"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Babe in the Hundred Acre Wood"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. One advocated for by the National Prison Project"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of several resident of a dwelling (especially someone confined to a prison or hospital)
  • Similar words include: yard bird, yardbird, convict
  • Opposite of: outpatient
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INMATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Whittled (down)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that decrease gradually or bit by bit
  • Similar words include: whittle, peel, trim
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Biblical mount"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mountain peak in the southern sinai peninsula (7,500 feet high); it is believed to be the peak on which moses received the ten commandments
  • Similar words include: Sinai Peninsula, Mount Sinai, Sinai Desert
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. It's worth remembering!"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a siege and massacre at a mission in san antonio in 1836; mexican forces under santa anna besieged and massacred american rebels who were fighting to make texas independent of mexico
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALAMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. "No idea""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "23. Distinctive expression ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues"

12 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. Feature of San Francisco's Lombard Street"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
  • Similar words include: atomic number 99, E, Es
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Mole, e.g."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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: descry, undercover agent, spot
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Firm"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
  • Similar words include: knockout, heavy, difficult
  • Opposite of: soft, easy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Like many cricket fields"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it
  • Similar words include: ovate, ellipse, prolate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Plan to contribute to, for short"

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: Provisional IRA, Irish Republican Army, wrath
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. One of 1,909 for Willie Mays, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a run that is the result of the batter's performance
  • Similar words include: run batted in
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RBI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "34. "___ the Explorer""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Some distance away"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Declare"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the chance to speak
  • Similar words include: pronounce, articulate, aver
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. "Oh no! A mouse!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. What the second number indicates in men's jeans sizes"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
  • Similar words include: distance, duration
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LENGTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Univ. with an annual Mystery Hunt"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an engineering university in cambridge
  • Similar words include: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Eager response to "Wanna join?""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the united states federal department charged with conservation and the development of natural resources; created in 1849
  • Similar words include: Interior, Interior Department, Department of the Interior
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Goes nuts for"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Around"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Garden-variety"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
  • Similar words include: common
  • Opposite of: unusual
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USUAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Wasn't paying attention"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be able to accommodate for sleeping
  • Similar words include: sleep, log Z's, catch some Z's
  • Opposite of: wake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Lauder of cosmetics"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Designer Cassini"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. "I don't really care / If ya think I'm strange / I ___ gonna change": Joan Jett"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. N.F.L. commentator Collinsworth"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that catch sight of
  • Similar words include: descry, spy, spot
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESPY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "59. Letter after chi"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of pressure
  • Similar words include: pounds per square inch
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PSI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "60. The "S" of E.S.T.: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a communicable infection transmitted by sexual intercourse or genital contact
  • Similar words include: venereal infection, dose, sexually transmitted disease
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STD

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: August 20, 2026 at 04:04 AM

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 14, 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. Closest bud 3
2A 4. Put-up job 4
3A 8. Destination for some sci-fi travelers 4
4A 12. ___ and dear 4
5A 13. Magician's "Look at what I just did!" 4
6A 14. Supportive advocate, as for L.G.B.T.Q. rights 4
7A 15. Corrupting sorts, in an orchard metaphor 9
8A 17. Merest little chirp 4
9A 18. Folded French pancake 5
10A 19. ___ mode (in the fashionable style) 3
11A 20. Industry showcase 4
12A 21. Nightmares for nannies 12
13A 24. "We come in peace" speakers, in a sci-fi trope 6
14A 26. Youngest woman ever elected to Congress, familiarly 3
15A 27. + or – particle 3
16A 28. Word after twin, tanning or trundle 3
17A 31. Rapper ___ Rhymes 5
18A 35. Movie review site with a percentage rating scale 14
19A 39. Schnozzle 5
20A 40. Firefighter's tool 3
21A 41. Helpful posting at a trailhead 3
22A 42. "Stop, Look and Listen" spot, e.g., in brief 3
23A 44. Curiosity and Perseverance, for two 6
24A 47. Novelty dance with comical elbow-flapping 12
25A 52. Hasn't been canceled 4
26A 53. Stimpy's TV companion 3
27A 54. ___ peek 5
28A 57. State along a river of the same name 4
29A 58. Heading the wrong way ... or, interpreted culinarily, a hint to 15-, 21-, 35- and 47-Across 9
30A 60. Home in the woods 4
31A 61. Earring type 4
32A 62. Actress ___ Rachel Wood 4
33A 63. Half brother and rival of the goddess Athena 4
34A 64. Align 4
35A 65. Mo. with International Talk Like a Pirate Day 3

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Closest bud"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "4. Put-up job"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
  • Similar words include: assume, shammer, fictive
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "8. Destination for some sci-fi travelers"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the time that has elapsed
  • Similar words include: retiring, past times, by
  • Opposite of: present, future
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "12. ___ and dear"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "13. Magician's "Look at what I just did!""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "14. Supportive advocate, as for L.G.B.T.Q. rights"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a friendly nation
  • Similar words include: friend
  • Opposite of: foe
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALLY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "15. Corrupting sorts, in an orchard metaphor"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "17. Merest little chirp"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the short weak cry of a young bird
  • Similar words include: cheep, chirp, chirrup
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEEP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "18. Folded French pancake"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that paper with a crinkled texture; usually colored and used for decorations
  • Similar words include: French pancake, crepe paper, crape
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CREPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "19. ___ mode (in the fashionable style)"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "20. Industry showcase"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a collection of things (goods or works of art etc.) for public display
  • Similar words include: exposition, exhibition
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXPO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "21. Nightmares for nannies"

12 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. "We come in peace" speakers, in a sci-fi trope"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
  • Similar words include: foreigner, estrange, extraterrestrial being
  • Opposite of: acquaintance, citizen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALIENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "26. Youngest woman ever elected to Congress, familiarly"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "27. + or – particle"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particle that is electrically charged (positive or negative); an atom or molecule or group that has lost or gained one or more electrons
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ION

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "28. Word after twin, tanning or trundle"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
  • Similar words include: bang, do it, hit the sack
  • Opposite of: turn out, get up
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "31. Rapper ___ Rhymes"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. Movie review site with a percentage rating scale"

14 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "39. Schnozzle"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person regarded as arrogant and annoying
  • Similar words include: snot, schnoz, beak
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Firefighter's tool"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
  • Similar words include: ax
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AXE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. Helpful posting at a trailhead"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. "Stop, Look and Listen" spot, e.g., in brief"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Curiosity and Perseverance, for two"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who leads a wandering unsettled life
  • Similar words include: bird of passage, rover, roamer
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROVERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "47. Novelty dance with comical elbow-flapping"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "52. Hasn't been canceled"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "53. Stimpy's TV companion"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "54. ___ peek"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is regarded as underhanded and furtive and contemptible
  • Similar words include: sneaky, lift, hook
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNEAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "57. State along a river of the same name"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "58. Heading the wrong way ... or, interpreted culinarily, a hint to 15-, 21-, 35- and 47-Across"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "60. Home in the woods"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
  • Similar words include: snuggle, cuddle, draw close
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "61. Earring type"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a man who is virile and sexually active
  • Similar words include: scantling, dot, stud poker
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. Actress ___ Rachel Wood"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Half brother and rival of the goddess Athena"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) greek god of war; son of zeus and hera; identified with roman mars
  • Similar words include: are, ar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. Align"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make synchronous and adjust in time or manner
  • Similar words include: synchronize, synchronise
  • Opposite of: desynchronize, desynchronise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SYNC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "65. Mo. with International Talk Like a Pirate Day"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the month following august and preceding october
  • Similar words include: Sept, September
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Campsite crasher in the Rockies 4
2D 2. Gradually blends with 9
3D 3. Chilled coffee drink 6
4D 4. Longtime NASCAR sponsor 3
5D 5. Special request for a flight meal 5
6D 6. Singer with the best-selling album "21" 5
7D 7. Ancient fortress overlooking the Dead Sea 6
8D 8. Slice of Life or nick of Time? 8
9D 9. Assistant with a whisper mode 5
10D 10. Gave it a rest? 5
11D 11. Writing wrongs 5
12D 12. Jimmy Fallon's network 3
13D 16. Underappreciated worker, say 4
14D 22. Library ID 4
15D 23. Tea with tapioca pearls 4
16D 24. Publicizes 4
17D 25. Lake bird with a laughing call 4
18D 29. When U R due 3
19D 30. Reveal private info about, in online lingo 3
20D 32. "The audacity!" 9
21D 33. Lachrymal unit 4
22D 34. Nile reptiles 4
23D 36. Traditional sumo hairstyles 8
24D 37. Online crafts bazaar 4
25D 38. Hired soldier, in slang 4
26D 43. Unlike the direction of this clue's answer 6
27D 45. "All right. What's the big deal?" 4
28D 46. Concert sites 6
29D 47. Shrek's beloved 5
30D 48. Escort 5
31D 49. Snap, crackle or pop 5
32D 50. Sizable 5
33D 51. For kicks and giggles 5
34D 55. "I need this immediately" 4
35D 56. "She's everything. He's just ___" ("Barbie" tagline) 3
36D 59. Public health agcy. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Campsite crasher in the Rockies"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws
  • Similar words include: wear, assume, behave
  • Opposite of: bull
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Gradually blends with"

9 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Chilled coffee drink"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that liqueur poured over shaved ice
  • Similar words include: ice
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRAPPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Longtime NASCAR sponsor"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard temperature and pressure
  • Similar words include: s.t.p.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Special request for a flight meal"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (islam) meat from animals that have been slaughtered in the prescribed way according to the shariah
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Singer with the best-selling album "21""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Ancient fortress overlooking the Dead Sea"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Slice of Life or nick of Time?"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Assistant with a whisper mode"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Gave it a rest?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be able to accommodate for sleeping
  • Similar words include: sleep, log Z's, kip
  • Opposite of: wake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Writing wrongs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind
  • Similar words include: typo, literal error, erratum
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TYPOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Jimmy Fallon's network"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "16. Underappreciated worker, say"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a laborer who is obliged to do menial work
  • Similar words include: galley slave, drudge, navvy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "22. Library ID"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "23. Tea with tapioca pearls"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Publicizes"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that affected manners intended to impress others
  • Similar words include: airwave, melodic line, gentle wind
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Lake bird with a laughing call"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a worthless lazy fellow
  • Similar words include: birdbrain, addle-head, diver
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "29. When U R due"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "30. Reveal private info about, in online lingo"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "32. "The audacity!""

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "33. Lachrymal unit"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a drop of the clear salty saline solution secreted by the lacrimal glands
  • Similar words include: teardrop, rent, deplume
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "34. Nile reptiles"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of southern europe; similar to but smaller than the adder
  • Similar words include: Egyptian cobra, asp viper, Vipera aspis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Traditional sumo hairstyles"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that headdress consisting of a decorative ribbon or bow worn in the hair
  • Similar words include: topknot
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOPKNOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Online crafts bazaar"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Hired soldier, in slang"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "43. Unlike the direction of this clue's answer"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to the opposite side
  • Similar words include: crossways, crosswise
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACROSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "45. "All right. What's the big deal?""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "46. Concert sites"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the scene of any event or action (especially the place of a meeting)
  • Similar words include: locus, locale, venue
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VENUES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Shrek's beloved"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "48. Escort"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that irish prelate who deduced from the bible that creation occurred in the year 4004 bc (1581-1656)
  • Similar words include: show, James Usher, James Ussher
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USHER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. Snap, crackle or pop"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
  • Similar words include: dissonance, disturbance, stochasticity
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOISE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Sizable"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of a person) possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful
  • Similar words include: goodish, sizable, healthy
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEFTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. For kicks and giggles"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "55. "I need this immediately""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that as soon as possible
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "56. "She's everything. He's just ___" ("Barbie" tagline)"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that range of what one can know or understand
  • Similar words include: sight, cognizance
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "59. Public health agcy."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a federal agency in the department of health and human services; located in atlanta; investigates and diagnoses and tries to control or prevent diseases (especially new and unusual diseases)
  • Similar words include: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CDC

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

35 Across Clues
36 Down Clues
71 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: July 14, 2026 at 05:43 AM