Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (39 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (35 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
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. Teacher's pet, say, in slang | 6 |
| 2A | 7. Cumming who won a Tony for "Cabaret" | 4 |
| 3A | 11. White lie | 3 |
| 4A | 14. Not well known | 6 |
| 5A | 15. Driving range? | 4 |
| 6A | 16. N.H.L.'s Mammoth, on scoreboards | 3 |
| 7A | 17. Driver's Ed: B | 11 |
| 8A | 19. Alt tab? | 3 |
| 9A | 20. Sporty vehicles, in brief | 4 |
| 10A | 21. Reunion attendee, for short | 4 |
| 11A | 22. Blunts | 5 |
| 12A | 24. Crop whose trade contributed to the Opium Wars | 3 |
| 13A | 25. Parisian permission | 3 |
| 14A | 26. Tender bend-er | 7 |
| 15A | 28. Gym: B+ | 13 |
| 16A | 31. ___ faire (festival with jousting) | 3 |
| 17A | 32. Life phase, informally | 3 |
| 18A | 33. In the thick of | 4 |
| 19A | 34. Had dinner at home | 5 |
| 20A | 37. Great sorrow | 3 |
| 21A | 38. Nutrition sources | 5 |
| 22A | 39. ___ saltado (Peruvian stir-fry dish) | 4 |
| 23A | 40. Tavern | 3 |
| 24A | 41. Baby boy | 3 |
| 25A | 42. Wood shop: A | 13 |
| 26A | 46. Have the same opinion about | 7 |
| 27A | 47. Chemical suffix that indicates a double bond | 3 |
| 28A | 48. "A Nightmare on ___ Street" | 3 |
| 29A | 51. Scene that may begin "Follow that car!" | 5 |
| 30A | 52. Like a tennis player who didn't even swing, maybe | 4 |
| 31A | 54. Sneaker brand | 4 |
| 32A | 55. Province with Niagara Falls: Abbr. | 3 |
| 33A | 56. History: A+ | 11 |
| 34A | 59. Look back on with regret | 3 |
| 35A | 60. At any point | 4 |
| 36A | 61. Stephen King's telekinetic teen of horror | 6 |
| 37A | 62. Figures in some rumored landings, for short | 3 |
| 38A | 63. Short Instagram posting | 4 |
| 39A | 64. Difficult, as a problem | 6 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Teacher's pet, say, in slang"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KISSUP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "7. Cumming who won a Tony for "Cabaret""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALAN
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3A: "11. White lie"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a trivial lie
- Similar words include: taradiddle, tale, story
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIB
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4A: "14. Not well known"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCANE
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5A: "15. Driving range?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a narrow way or road
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANE
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6A: "16. N.H.L.'s Mammoth, on scoreboards"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a reptile genus of iguanidae
- Similar words include: genus Uta
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTA
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7A: "17. Driver's Ed: B"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARKINGFINE
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8A: "19. Alt tab?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid
- Similar words include: lysergic acid diethylamide
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LSD
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9A: "20. Sporty vehicles, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a member of the shoshonean people of utah and colorado and new mexico
- Similar words include: Ute
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "21. Reunion attendee, for short"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that one-hundredth of a right angle
- Similar words include: alum, graduate, alumna
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRAD
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11A: "22. Blunts"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that make dull in appearance
- Similar words include: dampen, benumb, pall
- Opposite of: sharpen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DULLS
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12A: "24. Crop whose trade contributed to the Opium Wars"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
- Similar words include: Camellia sinensis, tea leaf, afternoon tea
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEA
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13A: "25. Parisian permission"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "26. Tender bend-er"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BUMKNEE
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15A: "28. Gym: B+"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOVINGAVERAGE
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16A: "31. ___ faire (festival with jousting)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REN
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17A: "32. Life phase, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
- Similar words include: geological era, earned run average, epoch
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA
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18A: "33. In the thick of"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMID
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19A: "34. Had dinner at home"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATEIN
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20A: "37. Great sorrow"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that misery resulting from affliction
- Similar words include: woefulness, suffering
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WOE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "38. Nutrition sources"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a prescribed selection of foods
- Similar words include: diet, dieting
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIETS
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22A: "39. ___ saltado (Peruvian stir-fry dish)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOMO
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23A: "40. Tavern"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
- Similar words include: stripe, streak, blockade
- Opposite of: unbar
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAR
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24A: "41. Baby boy"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a male human offspring
- Similar words include: Logos, Word, boy
- Opposite of: daughter, girl
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "42. Wood shop: A"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BUILDINGSUPER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "46. Have the same opinion about"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGREEON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "47. Chemical suffix that indicates a double bond"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the compass point midway between northeast and east
- Similar words include: east northeast
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "48. "A Nightmare on ___ Street""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of various trees of the genus ulmus: important timber or shade trees
- Similar words include: elm tree, elmwood
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "51. Scene that may begin "Follow that car!""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
- Similar words include: chase after, trail, Salmon P. Chase
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHASE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "52. Like a tennis player who didn't even swing, maybe"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that succeed at easily
- Similar words include: pass with flying colors, breeze through, ace
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "54. Sneaker brand"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVIA
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32A: "55. Province with Niagara Falls: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONT
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33A: "56. History: A+"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTPERFECT
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34A: "59. Look back on with regret"
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: herb of grace, Ruta graveolens, regret
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35A: "60. At any point"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that at any time
- Similar words include: ever so, always, of all time
- Opposite of: never
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVER
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36A: "61. Stephen King's telekinetic teen of horror"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARRIE
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37A: "62. Figures in some rumored landings, for short"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETS
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38A: "63. Short Instagram posting"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector
- Similar words include: swag, lurch, Scottish reel
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REEL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
39A: "64. Difficult, as a problem"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
- Similar words include: elusive, tough, baffling
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNOTTY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Wrecked | 5 |
| 2D | 2. Like a passionate solver discovering a filled-in airline magazine crossword, say | 5 |
| 3D | 3. Edvard Munch painting, with "The" | 6 |
| 4D | 4. Fifth Avenue retailer | 4 |
| 5D | 5. Mono- | 3 |
| 6D | 6. Bird that gives pebbles as a courtship gesture | 7 |
| 7D | 7. Bravo preceder | 4 |
| 8D | 8. Made public | 8 |
| 9D | 9. Actress Dowd of "The Handmaid's Tale" | 3 |
| 10D | 10. "Can I help?" | 6 |
| 11D | 11. First and last, say | 8 |
| 12D | 12. "That checks out" | 8 |
| 13D | 13. Rotten apples | 8 |
| 14D | 18. Sly look, say | 4 |
| 15D | 23. Kyiv's country | 7 |
| 16D | 25. Bake-off need | 4 |
| 17D | 27. Sch. that's home to Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village | 3 |
| 18D | 29. Birds with a Baltimore species | 7 |
| 19D | 30. Physicist Ohm | 5 |
| 20D | 34. White tuna | 8 |
| 21D | 35. One that's hard to crack | 8 |
| 22D | 36. Airline headquartered in Dubai | 8 |
| 23D | 37. "Are you ready for this?" | 8 |
| 24D | 38. Fabulous, in slang | 4 |
| 25D | 40. Info that might include "Originally from ..." | 3 |
| 26D | 41. Open-air part of a cruise ship | 7 |
| 27D | 43. More profound | 6 |
| 28D | 44. Soak slowly | 4 |
| 29D | 45. Backslide | 6 |
| 30D | 49. Allowed | 5 |
| 31D | 50. Fellow crew member | 5 |
| 32D | 53. Shortcut key | 4 |
| 33D | 54. Musical lead-in to beat | 4 |
| 34D | 57. Blvd. crosser | 3 |
| 35D | 58. Tried for office | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Wrecked"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that destroyed or killed
- Similar words include: gone, done for
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KAPUT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Like a passionate solver discovering a filled-in airline magazine crossword, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that feeling or showing extreme anger
- Similar words include: ireful
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRATE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Edvard Munch painting, with "The""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that sharp piercing cry
- Similar words include: cry, screeching, shriek
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCREAM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Fifth Avenue retailer"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Mono-"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Bird that gives pebbles as a courtship gesture"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that short-legged flightless birds of cold southern especially antarctic regions having webbed feet and wings modified as flippers
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PENGUIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Bravo preceder"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALFA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Made public"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAIDBARE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. Actress Dowd of "The Handmaid's Tale""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. "Can I help?""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEEDME
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. First and last, say"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FULLNAME
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12D: "12. "That checks out""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITSLEGIT
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13D: "13. Rotten apples"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BADSEEDS
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14D: "18. Sly look, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
- Similar words include: smiling, smile, grinning
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "23. Kyiv's country"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a republic in southeastern europe; formerly a european soviet; the center of the original russian state which came into existence in the ninth century
- Similar words include: Ukrayina
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UKRAINE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16D: "25. Bake-off need"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that kitchen appliance used for baking or roasting
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "27. Sch. that's home to Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UVA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "29. Birds with a Baltimore species"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that mostly tropical songbird; the male is usually bright orange and black
- Similar words include: American oriole, oriole, Old World oriole
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORIOLES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "30. Physicist Ohm"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEORG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "34. White tuna"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that relatively small tuna with choice white flesh; major source of canned tuna
- Similar words include: Thunnus alalunga, long-fin tunny
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALBACORE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "35. One that's hard to crack"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOUGHNUT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "36. Airline headquartered in Dubai"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the domain controlled by an emir
- Similar words include: emirate
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMIRATES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "37. "Are you ready for this?""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WANNASEE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "38. Fabulous, in slang"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that street names for marijuana
- Similar words include: pot, dope up, green goddess
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOPE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "40. Info that might include "Originally from ...""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BIO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "41. Open-air part of a cruise ship"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUNDECK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "43. More profound"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
- Similar words include: rich, abstruse, recondite
- Opposite of: shallow
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEEPER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "44. Soak slowly"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that pass gradually or leak through or as if through small openings
- Similar words include: ooze
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEEP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "45. Backslide"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that go back to a previous state
- Similar words include: regress, turn back, return
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REVERT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "49. Allowed"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that sanctioned by custom or morality especially sexual morality
- Similar words include: legitimate, lawful
- Opposite of: illicit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LICIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "50. Fellow crew member"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (used colloquially) having the relationship of friends or pals
- Similar words include: palsy-walsy, chummy, pally
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MATEY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32D: "53. Shortcut key"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CTRL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33D: "54. Musical lead-in to beat"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a rounded thickly curled hairdo
- Similar words include: Afro hairdo
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34D: "57. Blvd. crosser"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35D: "58. Tried for office"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
- Similar words include: fly the coop, pass, campaign
- Opposite of: malfunction, idle
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAN
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
35 Down Clues
74 Total Clues
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