Search Clues

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

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 13, 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. ___ classic ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Pulp Fiction," e.g.) 4
2A 5. Spongy wetlands 4
3A 9. Titleholder 5
4A 14. Engrave 4
5A 15. Dirt pie ingredient 4
6A 16. Greek goddesses of the seasons 5
7A 17. Optional mission in a video game 9
8A 19. Gradually eat away 5
9A 20. Selfless sort 8
10A 21. Shindig for someone to announce whether they're having a boy or a girl 6
11A 22. – 6
12A 23. Lie next to 4
13A 25. Show on which Tina Fey and Seth Meyers have worked as head writers, in brief 3
14A 26. Tropical cocktail with bananas, strawberries, rum and coconut cream 8
15A 31. Go downhill fast 3
16A 34. Feedbag contents 4
17A 36. Shindig for someone settling into a new home 5
18A 37. – 7
19A 40. Flips, say 7
20A 42. Skirt, as an issue 5
21A 43. Jennifer who wrote "A Visit From the Goon Squad" 4
22A 45. Auction unit 3
23A 46. Cowboy's kerchief 8
24A 48. Show stoppers? 3
25A 51. Goes bad 4
26A 52. Shindig for someone who's about to tie the knot 6
27A 56. – 6
28A 60. Like a dish of veal or chicken dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, then fried in butter 8
29A 62. Surfers ride them 5
30A 63. Lunchroom 9
31A 64. Wolf in "The Jungle Book" 5
32A 65. Initials on a map until 1991 4
33A 66. Shindig for the cast and crew after filming is done ... with a hint to entering this answer and three others in the grid 4
34A 67. – 5
35A 68. Boxing stats 4
36A 69. Jazz singer Sylvia 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. ___ classic ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Pulp Fiction," e.g.)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices
  • Similar words include: fad, rage, cultus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CULT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Spongy wetlands"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel
  • Similar words include: bog, bog down, peat bog
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Titleholder"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who has won first place in a competition
  • Similar words include: chomp, title-holder, champion
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Engrave"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make an etching of
  • Similar words include: engrave
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Dirt pie ingredient"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that chocolate cookie with white cream filling
  • Similar words include: oreo cookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Greek goddesses of the seasons"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Optional mission in a video game"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Gradually eat away"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that become ground down or deteriorate
  • Similar words include: gnaw, wear away, eat away
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Selfless sort"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being
  • Similar words include: philanthropist
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALTRUIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Shindig for someone to announce whether they're having a boy or a girl"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a grammatical category in inflected languages governing the agreement between nouns and pronouns and adjectives; in some languages it is quite arbitrary but in indo-european languages it is usually based on sex or animateness
  • Similar words include: sex, sexuality, grammatical gender
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GENDER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. –"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make visible
  • Similar words include: discover, let out, unwrap
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REVEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Lie next to"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
  • Similar words include: butt, butt on, adjoin
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Show on which Tina Fey and Seth Meyers have worked as head writers, in brief"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "26. Tropical cocktail with bananas, strawberries, rum and coconut cream"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Go downhill fast"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that narrow wood or metal or plastic runners used in pairs for gliding over snow
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Feedbag contents"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that annual grass of europe and north africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: `oats')
  • Similar words include: oat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Shindig for someone settling into a new home"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
  • Similar words include: theatre, firm, planetary house
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. –"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the process of becoming warmer; a rising temperature
  • Similar words include: heating, thaw, thawing
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WARMING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. Flips, say"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sell (something) again after having bought it
  • Similar words include: resell
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESELLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. Skirt, as an issue"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
  • Similar words include: deflect, stave off, head off
  • Opposite of: validate, confront
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVOID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Jennifer who wrote "A Visit From the Goon Squad""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Auction unit"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "46. Cowboy's kerchief"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large and brightly colored handkerchief; often used as a neckerchief
  • Similar words include: bandana
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BANDANNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Show stoppers?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "51. Goes bad"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
  • Similar words include: buncombe, decomposition, molder
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "52. Shindig for someone who's about to tie the knot"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that archaic terms for a wedding or wedding feast
  • Similar words include: espousal, spousal, nuptial
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRIDAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "56. –"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
  • Similar words include: exhibitor, shower bath, rain shower
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOWER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "60. Like a dish of veal or chicken dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, then fried in butter"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of milan
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MILANESE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "62. Surfers ride them"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
  • Similar words include: Wave, flourish, waving
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "63. Lunchroom"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a restaurant where you serve yourself and pay a cashier
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAFETERIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "64. Wolf in "The Jungle Book""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "65. Initials on a map until 1991"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a former communist country in eastern europe and northern asia; established in 1922; included russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (ukraine and byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 december 1991
  • Similar words include: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Soviet Union, Russia
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USSR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "66. Shindig for the cast and crew after filming is done ... with a hint to entering this answer and three others in the grid"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
  • Similar words include: enwrap, twine, wrapping
  • Opposite of: unwind, unwrap
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WRAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "67. –"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an organization to gain political power
  • Similar words include: political party, company
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "68. Boxing stats"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a knockout declared by the referee who judges one boxer unable to continue
  • Similar words include: TKO, technical knockout
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TKOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "69. Jazz singer Sylvia"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. ___ Millan, celebrity dog trainer 5
2D 2. Handy 5
3D 3. High-def flat screen, for short 5
4D 4. "Ay, ___ the rub" 6
5D 5. Broth that might come from a dissolved cube 8
6D 6. Magnetite and bauxite 4
7D 7. Whole that's greater than the sum of its parts, from the German 7
8D 8. Barfly 3
9D 9. Spotted African sprinters 8
10D 10. Car's honker 4
11D 11. Longtime Yankee slugger, familiarly 4
12D 12. Earned 4
13D 13. Member of a jury 4
14D 18. Ke Huy ___, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" actor 4
15D 21. Boss, in Britain 3
16D 24. Major Iraqi port city 5
17D 27. Adversary 3
18D 28. Quiet period 4
19D 29. Scandinavian capital 4
20D 30. Toward sunset 4
21D 31. Mop, as the deck 4
22D 32. Polynesian brew 4
23D 33. Smooth out, as a wrinkled shirt 4
24D 35. Talent broker 5
25D 38. Mediocre, in modern slang 3
26D 39. "'Tis entirely likely" 8
27D 41. Those going along with others' unhealthy habits 8
28D 44. Item worn with a hazmat suit 7
29D 47. Negative connector 3
30D 49. "Curses!" 4
31D 50. Fibrous connecting tissues 6
32D 53. Second-largest city in Northern Ireland 5
33D 54. "Take me ___" 5
34D 55. Bounds 5
35D 56. Substitute 4
36D 57. Ceremonial Maori dance 4
37D 58. Done 4
38D 59. Mark left by a whip 4
39D 61. "Should that be true ..." 4
40D 63. Word before "one's losses" or "both ways" 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. ___ Millan, celebrity dog trainer"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Handy"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that being of use or service
  • Similar words include: useful
  • Opposite of: useless
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTILE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. High-def flat screen, for short"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. "Ay, ___ the rub""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a location other than here; that place
  • Similar words include: there
  • Opposite of: here
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THERES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Broth that might come from a dissolved cube"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a clear seasoned broth
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOUILLON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Magnetite and bauxite"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • Similar words include: ore
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Whole that's greater than the sum of its parts, from the German"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GESTALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Barfly"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chronic drinker
  • Similar words include: drunk, wino, rummy
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Spotted African sprinters"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long-legged spotted cat of africa and southwestern asia having nonretractile claws; the swiftest mammal; can be trained to run down game
  • Similar words include: chetah, cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHEETAHS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Car's honker"

4 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, car horn
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HORN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Longtime Yankee slugger, familiarly"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Earned"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that give certain properties to something
  • Similar words include: progress to, create, cause
  • Opposite of: unmake, unmade
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Member of a jury"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
  • Similar words include: match, compeer, equal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Ke Huy ___, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" actor"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Boss, in Britain"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Major Iraqi port city"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the second largest city in iraq; an oil port in southern iraq
  • Similar words include: Basia
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Adversary"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
  • Similar words include: foeman, opposition, enemy
  • Opposite of: friend
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Quiet period"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a pause during which things are calm or activities are diminished
  • Similar words include: quiet, calm down, still
  • Opposite of: agitate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LULL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Scandinavian capital"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of norway; the country's main port; located at the head of a fjord on norway's southern coast
  • Similar words include: capital of Norway, Christiania
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSLO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Toward sunset"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the countries of (originally) europe and (now including) north america and south america
  • Similar words include: Occident, western United States, Rebecca West
  • Opposite of: east
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Mop, as the deck"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion
  • Similar words include: mop, dab, swob
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWAB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Polynesian brew"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an alcoholic drink made from the aromatic roots of the kava shrub
  • Similar words include: kavakava
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KAVA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Smooth out, as a wrinkled shirt"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
  • Similar words include: cast-iron, Fe, atomic number 26
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Talent broker"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
  • Similar words include: broker, federal agent, factor
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Mediocre, in modern slang"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that used in combination to denote the middle
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. "'Tis entirely likely""

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Those going along with others' unhealthy habits"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Item worn with a hazmat suit"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a protective mask with a filter; protects the face and lungs against poisonous gases
  • Similar words include: gas helmet, respirator
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GASMASK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Negative connector"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. "Curses!""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Fibrous connecting tissues"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cord or band of inelastic tissue connecting a muscle with its bony attachment
  • Similar words include: tendon, brawniness, muscularity
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINEWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "53. Second-largest city in Northern Ireland"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "54. "Take me ___""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "55. Bounds"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
  • Similar words include: jump, jump off, bound
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "56. Substitute"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an equal exchange
  • Similar words include: switch, barter, swop
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Ceremonial Maori dance"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "58. Done"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (cricket) the division of play during which six balls are bowled at the batsman by one player from the other team from the same end of the pitch
  • Similar words include: concluded, complete, ended
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "59. Mark left by a whip"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions
  • Similar words include: flog, weal, strap
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WELT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "61. "Should that be true ...""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "63. Word before "one's losses" or "both ways""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a share of the profits
  • Similar words include: mown, excision, cold shoulder
  • Opposite of: uncut, untrimmed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUT

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

36 Across Clues
40 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

Looking for more puzzle solutions? Check out our comprehensive archive of NYT crossword hints and answers. We update daily with expert analysis and solving strategies.

Disclaimer: Crossword clues and grid © The New York Times. This site provides hints and educational content for puzzle enthusiasts. XWordHint is not affiliated with The New York Times.

Last updated: October 13, 2026 at 10:49 AM

Sunday, July 5, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 05, 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. Firm up 7
2A 8. Capital city on the Gulf of Guinea 5
3A 13. Gamer's pursuit 6
4A 19. Aid for a violin player 8
5A 20. Crocs and mocs 5
6A 21. Kind of costume that includes a round hat and kerchief 6
7A 22. {Elijah, Ruth, Natalie} 14
8A 24. "Send a quick reminder" 6
9A 25. "___ it and rip it!" (aggressive golfer's mantra) 4
10A 26. Org. for those leaving the workforce 4
11A 27. Product displays seen at entrances to store aisles 7
12A 28. {Kerouac, Dubya, Ginsberg} 18
13A 35. Colored 4
14A 36. Org. that accepts returns 3
15A 37. Grinders 5
16A 41. {WC, AC, DC} 20
17A 49. Jewish mysticism, in one spelling 6
18A 50. Love, in Lima 4
19A 51. Card game whose name is shouted 3
20A 52. Knee part often torn by athletes, in brief 3
21A 53. At any time 4
22A 54. Small test subjects 7
23A 57. Enforcer of traveling restrictions, informally? 6
24A 60. "The Second Coming" poet, 1919 5
25A 62. Ragú competitor 5
26A 63. The Shakespearean version of this has three quatrains followed by a couplet 6
27A 66. {Bonnie, Oscar, Clyde} 17
28A 70. Some salon tasks 6
29A 71. "Hammerin' Hank" of baseball 5
30A 72. Allow someone to pass 5
31A 75. 30-ounce Starbucks size 6
32A 78. Old Testament patriarch 7
33A 80. Close by 4
34A 81. Early email provider 3
35A 82. Rightmost hour on a grandfather clock 3
36A 85. Neighbor of an Estonian 4
37A 86. Evening that a couple spends together, say 6
38A 88. {Larry, Sue, Emma} 20
39A 94. Mexican mister 5
40A 95. Veer, as a ship 3
41A 96. Org. concerned with plants 4
42A 97. {Cinnabon, Kool-Aid, Hi-C} 18
43A 107. Powerhouse in English football 7
44A 110. Home to Waikiki Beach 4
45A 111. California's ___ Linda 4
46A 112. Rested atop 6
47A 113. {Landfill, goose feathers, junkyard} 14
48A 119. Pay no mind to 6
49A 120. Longtime Tribeca restaurant where some say the Cosmopolitan was invented, with "the" 5
50A 121. Thousands of binary digits 8
51A 122. Was overflowing 6
52A 123. Van Halen of Van Halen 5
53A 124. Extended voyage 7

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Firm up"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that become stiff or stiffer
  • Similar words include: tighten up, constrain, tighten
  • Opposite of: loosen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STIFFEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "8. Capital city on the Gulf of Guinea"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of ghana with a deep-water port
  • Similar words include: capital of Ghana
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACCRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "13. Gamer's pursuit"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "19. Aid for a violin player"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "20. Crocs and mocs"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular situation
  • Similar words include: place, horseshoe, brake shoe
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "21. Kind of costume that includes a round hat and kerchief"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any member of a ship's crew
  • Similar words include: straw hat, Panama, sailor boy
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAILOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "22. {Elijah, Ruth, Natalie}"

14 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "24. "Send a quick reminder""

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "25. "___ it and rip it!" (aggressive golfer's mantra)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of grasping
  • Similar words include: clutches, clasp, grasp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "26. Org. for those leaving the workforce"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an association of people to promote the welfare of senior citizens
  • Similar words include: Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AARP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "27. Product displays seen at entrances to store aisles"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "28. {Kerouac, Dubya, Ginsberg}"

18 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEATSAROUNDTHEBUSH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "35. Colored"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take on color or become colored
  • Similar words include: imbue, hue
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "36. Org. that accepts returns"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the bureau of the treasury department responsible for tax collections
  • Similar words include: Internal Revenue Service
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "37. Grinders"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
  • Similar words include: fighter, torpedo, Hero
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEROS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "41. {WC, AC, DC}"

20 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POWERBEHINDTHETHRONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "49. Jewish mysticism, in one spelling"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an esoteric or occult matter resembling the kabbalah that is traditionally secret
  • Similar words include: Kabbala, qabala, Cabala
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KABALA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "50. Love, in Lima"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (roman mythology) god of love; counterpart of greek eros
  • Similar words include: Cupid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "51. Card game whose name is shouted"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "52. Knee part often torn by athletes, in brief"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "53. At any time"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "54. Small test subjects"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "57. Enforcer of traveling restrictions, informally?"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "60. "The Second Coming" poet, 1919"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that irish poet and dramatist (1865-1939)
  • Similar words include: W. B. Yeats, William Butler Yeats
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "62. Ragú competitor"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "63. The Shakespearean version of this has three quatrains followed by a couplet"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SONNET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "66. {Bonnie, Oscar, Clyde}"

17 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONORAMONGTHIEVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "70. Some salon tasks"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a liquid preparation used on wet hair to give it a tint
  • Similar words include: wash, rinsing, rinse off
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RINSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "71. "Hammerin' Hank" of baseball"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states professional baseball player who hit more home runs than babe ruth (born in 1934)
  • Similar words include: Henry Louis Aaron, Hank Aaron
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AARON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "72. Allow someone to pass"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that production of a certain amount
  • Similar words include: give way, bear, take
  • Opposite of: stand, survive
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YIELD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "75. 30-ounce Starbucks size"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "78. Old Testament patriarch"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the first of the old testament patriarchs and the father of isaac; according to genesis, god promised to give abraham's family (the hebrews) the land of canaan (the promised land); god tested abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son
  • Similar words include: Ibrahim
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABRAHAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "80. Close by"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move towards
  • Similar words include: come on, well-nigh, good
  • Opposite of: far
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "81. Early email provider"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "82. Rightmost hour on a grandfather clock"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
  • Similar words include: trine, ternion, triplet
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: III

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "85. Neighbor of an Estonian"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "86. Evening that a couple spends together, say"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "88. {Larry, Sue, Emma}"

20 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWOBIRDSWITHONESTONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "94. Mexican mister"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a spanish title or form of address for a man; similar to the english `mr' or `sir'
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "95. Veer, as a ship"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an erratic deflection from an intended course
  • Similar words include: gape, yawn, swerve
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "96. Org. concerned with plants"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a government agency in the department of labor to maintain a safe and healthy work environment
  • Similar words include: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSHA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42A: "97. {Cinnabon, Kool-Aid, Hi-C}"

18 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROLLWITHTHEPUNCHES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43A: "107. Powerhouse in English football"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that all the weapons and equipment that a country has
  • Similar words include: armoury, armory
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARSENAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44A: "110. Home to Waikiki Beach"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an island of central hawaii (between molokai and kauai); the chief island of the state
  • Similar words include: Oahu Island
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAHU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45A: "111. California's ___ Linda"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46A: "112. Rested atop"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47A: "113. {Landfill, goose feathers, junkyard}"

14 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48A: "119. Pay no mind to"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that refuse to acknowledge
  • Similar words include: cut, push aside, neglect
  • Opposite of: notice, know
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IGNORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49A: "120. Longtime Tribeca restaurant where some say the Cosmopolitan was invented, with "the""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50A: "121. Thousands of binary digits"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of information equal to 1000 bits
  • Similar words include: kb, kbit, kilobit
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KILOBITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51A: "122. Was overflowing"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be teeming, be abuzz
  • Similar words include: stream, pullulate, swarm
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEEMED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52A: "123. Van Halen of Van Halen"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53A: "124. Extended voyage"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long wandering and eventful journey
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODYSSEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Angel's ___ (distiller's term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging) 5
2D 2. Shinbone 5
3D 3. Completely incompetent 5
4D 4. Time for Sat. prep? 3
5D 5. Marshland 3
6D 6. Suffix for superlatives 3
7D 7. Unspecified member of a series 3
8D 8. Nile dam 5
9D 9. Triad, e.g. 5
10D 10. Assume 5
11D 11. Lead-in to River or Rover 3
12D 12. Dummkopf 3
13D 13. Broadcaster of many an N.C.A.A. game 5
14D 14. Called for quiet 7
15D 15. Penny ___ (miser) 7
16D 16. Lingerie brand with a Slavic-sounding name 4
17D 17. Fun time 4
18D 18. "___ bon!" 4
19D 19. Bygone N.Y.C. music venue with rhyming initials 4
20D 23. Wisconsin's ___ Claire 3
21D 27. Buddy of "The Beverly Hillbillies" 5
22D 29. Apt name for a conchologist? 4
23D 30. Ear-related 5
24D 31. Yank's Civil War foe 3
25D 32. What has flatter feet? 3
26D 33. Achieve success, so to speak 3
27D 34. Chinese instrument with two strings 4
28D 38. Sound of an approaching subway train 4
29D 39. Start of a reminiscence 4
30D 40. Word with confidence or checkout 4
31D 41. Do some roadwork on 4
32D 42. Folk religion akin to voodoo 5
33D 43. Battered by battle 7
34D 44. Women's areas in old Muslim palaces 6
35D 45. Last stage of an insect's development 5
36D 46. "No way, no how!" 9
37D 47. Neurosurgeons, e.g.: Abbr. 3
38D 48. Metric unit of weight 5
39D 49. Map legend 3
40D 55. Figs. related to car loans 4
41D 56. Scottish hill 4
42D 58. Big bunch 4
43D 59. Eroded 7
44D 61. Pouty mood 4
45D 63. Lead-in to sphere, in the atmosphere 6
46D 64. "Hey! I know the answer!" 4
47D 65. Atlantic crosser of 1492 4
48D 67. Sign outside a broadcast booth 5
49D 68. Wayne's buddy in "Wayne's World" 5
50D 69. Admit 5
51D 73. Really weak, as an excuse 4
52D 74. Beats by ___ (audio brand) 3
53D 75. They might be up in arms, informally 4
54D 76. T. ___ Price (investment firm) 4
55D 77. "I bought this before ___ went crazy" (rueful bumper sticker on a Tesla) 4
56D 78. He was né Clay 3
57D 79. ___ pork (dish in a Chinese restaurant) 5
58D 83. Tale of rustic life 5
59D 84. "Vidi," in Caesar's boast 4
60D 87. Satirist Freberg 4
61D 89. You won't actually die of it 7
62D 90. Rocks smelted to make steel 7
63D 91. Conflict sparked by an archduke's assassination: Abbr. 3
64D 92. San Francisco's ___ Valley 3
65D 93. Madrid's land, in the Olympics 3
66D 98. Like Olympic pools 5
67D 99. Like some cars parked next to "No Parking" signs 5
68D 100. Vietnam's capital 5
69D 101. Old-fashioned "your" 5
70D 102. Soldier for Attila 3
71D 103. Black suit 5
72D 104. Good pal 5
73D 105. Out of gas 5
74D 106. Lip 4
75D 107. Settled down, in a way 4
76D 108. All the ___ 4
77D 109. Kind of wave 4
78D 113. Last name for an unnamed person 3
79D 114. Curious 3
80D 115. Ring result, in brief 3
81D 116. Secreted away 3
82D 117. Ron who played Tarzan 3
83D 118. Two in Tijuana 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Angel's ___ (distiller's term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group
  • Similar words include: plowshare, ploughshare, part
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Shinbone"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the inner and thicker of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle
  • Similar words include: shin, shin bone, shinbone
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIBIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Completely incompetent"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not elegant or graceful in expression
  • Similar words include: awkward, ill-chosen, cumbersome
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INEPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Time for Sat. prep?"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
  • Similar words include: Friday
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Marshland"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Suffix for superlatives"

3 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: Eastern Time, Eastern Standard Time
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Unspecified member of a series"

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!

8D: "8. Nile dam"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ancient city on the nile in egypt; two dams across the nile have been built nearby
  • Similar words include: Assuan, Assouan
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASWAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Triad, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a straight line connecting two points on a curve
  • Similar words include: harmonize, harmonise
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHORD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Assume"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Lead-in to River or Rover"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
  • Similar words include: scarlet, cerise, crimson
  • Opposite of: gain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Dummkopf"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: screwing, rear, tush
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Broadcaster of many an N.C.A.A. game"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Called for quiet"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "15. Penny ___ (miser)"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "16. Lingerie brand with a Slavic-sounding name"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "17. Fun time"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an easy victory
  • Similar words include: runaway, blowout, sport
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "18. "___ bon!""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "19. Bygone N.Y.C. music venue with rhyming initials"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "23. Wisconsin's ___ Claire"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "27. Buddy of "The Beverly Hillbillies""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "29. Apt name for a conchologist?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "30. Ear-related"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or pertaining to hearing or the ear
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "31. Yank's Civil War foe"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that `johnny' was applied as a nickname for confederate soldiers by the federal soldiers in the american civil war; `greyback' derived from their grey confederate uniforms
  • Similar words include: Johnny Reb, greyback, Rebel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "32. What has flatter feet?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "33. Achieve success, so to speak"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball)
  • Similar words include: striking, off, strike
  • Opposite of: miss
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "34. Chinese instrument with two strings"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "38. Sound of an approaching subway train"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deep prolonged loud noise
  • Similar words include: holla, bellowing, roaring
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "39. Start of a reminiscence"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that on one occasion
  • Similar words include: in one case, erst, erstwhile
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "40. Word with confidence or checkout"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that your consciousness of your own identity
  • Similar words include: ego
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SELF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "41. Do some roadwork on"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a setting with precious stones so closely set that no metal shows
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "42. Folk religion akin to voodoo"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (west indies) followers of a religious system involving witchcraft and sorcery
  • Similar words include: obi
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBEAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "43. Battered by battle"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "44. Women's areas in old Muslim palaces"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a muslim household
  • Similar words include: seraglio, harem, hareem
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAREMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "45. Last stage of an insect's development"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (psychoanalysis) an idealized image of someone (usually a parent) formed in childhood
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMAGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "46. "No way, no how!""

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "47. Neurosurgeons, e.g.: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "48. Metric unit of weight"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of weight equivalent to 1000 kilograms
  • Similar words include: MT, metric ton, t
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TONNE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "49. Map legend"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
  • Similar words include: samara, tonality, paint
  • Opposite of: atonality
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "55. Figs. related to car loans"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the month following march and preceding may
  • Similar words include: Apr, April
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "56. Scottish hill"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slope or hillside
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRAE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "58. Big bunch"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large gathering of people of a particular type
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEVY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "59. Eroded"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44D: "61. Pouty mood"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of agitated irritation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45D: "63. Lead-in to sphere, in the atmosphere"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46D: "64. "Hey! I know the answer!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47D: "65. Atlantic crosser of 1492"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of ea
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NINA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48D: "67. Sign outside a broadcast booth"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49D: "68. Wayne's buddy in "Wayne's World""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50D: "69. Admit"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51D: "73. Really weak, as an excuse"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who doesn't understand what is going on
  • Similar words include: feeble, gimpy, game
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52D: "74. Beats by ___ (audio brand)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53D: "75. They might be up in arms, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar
  • Similar words include: tackiness, TAT, Thematic Apperception Test
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54D: "76. T. ___ Price (investment firm)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55D: "77. "I bought this before ___ went crazy" (rueful bumper sticker on a Tesla)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56D: "78. He was né Clay"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
  • Similar words include: Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay, Cassius Marcellus Clay
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57D: "79. ___ pork (dish in a Chinese restaurant)"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58D: "83. Tale of rustic life"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an episode of such pastoral or romantic charm as to qualify as the subject of a poetic idyll
  • Similar words include: pastorale, eclogue, bucolic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDYLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59D: "84. "Vidi," in Caesar's boast"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60D: "87. Satirist Freberg"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61D: "89. You won't actually die of it"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  • Similar words include: tedium, ennui
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOREDOM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62D: "90. Rocks smelted to make steel"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63D: "91. Conflict sparked by an archduke's assassination: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64D: "92. San Francisco's ___ Valley"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65D: "93. Madrid's land, in the Olympics"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66D: "98. Like Olympic pools"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

67D: "99. Like some cars parked next to "No Parking" signs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that drag behind
  • Similar words include: tow
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOWED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68D: "100. Vietnam's capital"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital city of vietnam; located in north vietnam
  • Similar words include: capital of Vietnam
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HANOI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69D: "101. Old-fashioned "your""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

70D: "102. Soldier for Attila"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a nomadic people who invaded europe in the 4th century
  • Similar words include: Jerry, Krauthead, Boche
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71D: "103. Black suit"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
  • Similar words include: clubhouse, order, nine
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLUBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

72D: "104. Good pal"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

73D: "105. Out of gas"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a container that has been emptied
  • Similar words include: abandon, vacuous, evacuate
  • Opposite of: fill, full
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMPTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

74D: "106. Lip"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an impudent or insolent rejoinder
  • Similar words include: lip, sassing, back talk
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

75D: "107. Settled down, in a way"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

76D: "108. All the ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

77D: "109. Kind of wave"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ratio of the length of the side opposite the given angle to the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle
  • Similar words include: sin
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

78D: "113. Last name for an unnamed person"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the united states; created in 1977
  • Similar words include: Energy, Department of Energy, Energy Department
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

79D: "114. Curious"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not divisible by two
  • Similar words include: singular, unpaired, unexpended
  • Opposite of: even
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

80D: "115. Ring result, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a knockout declared by the referee who judges one boxer unable to continue
  • Similar words include: technical knockout
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TKO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

81D: "116. Secreted away"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prevent from being seen or discovered
  • Similar words include: obscure, conceal, enshroud
  • Opposite of: show
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

82D: "117. Ron who played Tarzan"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

83D: "118. Two in Tijuana"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the federal department in the united states that sets and maintains foreign policies
  • Similar words include: make out, disk operating system, doh
  • Opposite of: unmake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOS

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

53 Across Clues
83 Down Clues
136 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: July 05, 2026 at 06:53 AM