Search Clues

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

Thursday, May 21, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 21, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Medium

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Gossiped-about duo 4
2A 5. River whose southernmost source is found in Burundi 4
3A 9. Animal that expresses anger by spitting 5
4A 14. Curbside call 4
5A 15. Egg's outline 4
6A 16. Traditional Vietnamese garment whose name means "long shirt" 5
7A 17. 2000 Eminem single with lines from his "biggest fan" 4
8A 18. St. Benedict, for one 4
9A 19. Central meeting points 5
10A 20. timiL 12
11A 23. 50¢ or $1: Abbr. 3
12A 24. Fish more formally known as a batomorph 3
13A 25. Capital of Portugal, to natives 6
14A 29. Crown of jewels 6
15A 31. Penultimate Greek letter 3
16A 33. One of four seen on Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" 3
17A 34. Goat's cry 3
18A 35. Golfer's suppor- 9
19A 38. Move like a fox 5
20A 40. Get a lode of this! 3
21A 41. John from Britain 5
22A 42. Evade 9
23A 44. "Bad" beginning 3
24A 45. Like news that everyone already knows 3
25A 46. Legal boundaries? 3
26A 47. Kind of cat with a black-and-white coat 6
27A 50. More melted, as a marshmallow 6
28A 53. Tree alongside a ski run 3
29A 54. Bro, e.g. 3
30A 55. P | u | n | c | h | e | s 12
31A 59. Sound of a perfect basketball shot 5
32A 62. "Beware the ___ of a patient man": John Dryden 4
33A 63. Ordered 4
34A 64. Increase, as interest 5
35A 65. German Ms. 4
36A 66. Pupil's surroundings 4
37A 67. Environmentalist Adams 5
38A 68. Site for many stars? 4
39A 69. Sounds of disapproval 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Gossiped-about duo"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
  • Similar words include: point, particular, detail
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. River whose southernmost source is found in Burundi"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the world's longest river (4150 miles); flows northward through eastern africa into the mediterranean; the nile river valley in egypt was the site of the world's first great civilization
  • Similar words include: Nile River
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NILE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Animal that expresses anger by spitting"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wild or domesticated south american cud-chewing animal related to camels but smaller and lacking a hump
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LLAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Curbside call"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money
  • Similar words include: cab, hack, taxicab
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAXI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Egg's outline"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Traditional Vietnamese garment whose name means "long shirt""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. 2000 Eminem single with lines from his "biggest fan""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. St. Benedict, for one"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
  • Similar words include: Thelonious Sphere Monk, Thelonious Monk, monastic
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MONK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Central meeting points"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a connecting point at which several lines come together
  • Similar words include: client, node, knob
  • Opposite of: antinode
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NODES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. timiL"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. 50¢ or $1: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Fish more formally known as a batomorph"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a column of light (as from a beacon)
  • Similar words include: shaft of light, irradiation, light beam
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Capital of Portugal, to natives"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capital and largest city and economic and cultural center of portugal; a major port in western portugal on tagus river where it broadens and empties into the atlantic
  • Similar words include: Lisbon, capital of Portugal
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LISBOA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Crown of jewels"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty
  • Similar words include: crown
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIADEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Penultimate Greek letter"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. One of four seen on Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Goat's cry"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. Golfer's suppor-"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Move like a fox"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
  • Similar words include: malinger, lurk
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKULK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Get a lode of this!"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. John from Britain"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. Evade"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very short skirt
  • Similar words include: mini
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINISKIRT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. "Bad" beginning"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Like news that everyone already knows"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
  • Similar words include: sometime, former, one-time
  • Opposite of: young, new
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Legal boundaries?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "47. Kind of cat with a black-and-white coat"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. More melted, as a marshmallow"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that soft and sticky
  • Similar words include: icky, gooey
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOOIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. Tree alongside a ski run"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nonresinous wood of a fir tree
  • Similar words include: fir tree, true fir
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "54. Bro, e.g."

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person's brother or sister
  • Similar words include: blood relation, blood relative, cognate
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. P | u | n | c | h | e | s"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "59. Sound of a perfect basketball shot"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a brushing or rustling sound
  • Similar words include: lap, swoosh, posh
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWISH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. "Beware the ___ of a patient man": John Dryden"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a feeling of intense anger
  • Similar words include: fierceness, madness, hysteria
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FURY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Ordered"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chadic language spoken in northern nigeria
  • Similar words include: bid, entreat, press
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. Increase, as interest"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tightly woven fabric with raised cords
  • Similar words include: temper, irritation, offend
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIQUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "65. German Ms."

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a german courtesy title or form of address for an adult woman
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRAU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "66. Pupil's surroundings"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
  • Similar words include: fleur-de-lis, sword lily, iris diaphragm
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "67. Environmentalist Adams"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "68. Site for many stars?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sharp high-pitched cry (especially by a dog)
  • Similar words include: yelping, yap, yip
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YELP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "69. Sounds of disapproval"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Short negative review 6
2D 2. Floor covering in a Japanese tearoom 6
3D 3. "Bingo!" 11
4D 4. Stole material 4
5D 5. Southern denial 6
6D 6. Something tickled on a piano 5
7D 7. "Buy ___. They're not making it anymore" (old saying) 4
8D 8. Philanthropic group with a clock face in its logo 4
9D 9. The so-called "Pineapple Isle" 5
10D 10. Goes around and around 5
11D 11. Make sense, with "up" 3
12D 12. "Maggie ___," classic folk song covered by the Beatles 3
13D 13. ChatGPT, Claude, etc. 3
14D 21. Inflicts 6
15D 22. Muse of history 4
16D 26. Lasting damage from a tough experience, metaphorically 11
17D 27. Milkshake flavor 4
18D 28. Gospel shout 4
19D 30. "Fountain of Milk Spreading Itself Uselessly on Three Shoes" painter, 1945 4
20D 31. Contented sounds 5
21D 32. "Changed my mind," in editing notation 4
22D 35. Curl 4
23D 36. Hip-knee connectors 6
24D 37. Source of linseed oil 4
25D 38. It's all a haze 4
26D 39. Drug bust unit 4
27D 43. Model Miranda 4
28D 47. Make neat 6
29D 48. Large-eyed African antelope with a duplicative name 6
30D 49. Fixate 6
31D 51. Give out 5
32D 52. Neighbor of Ricky and Lucy, on 1950s TV 5
33D 53. Far from house-trained 5
34D 56. Dodgy 4
35D 57. 100% 4
36D 58. End piece? 4
37D 59. Belinda's business on "The White Lotus" 3
38D 60. Prevail 3
39D 61. Some test figs. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Short negative review"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Floor covering in a Japanese tearoom"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. "Bingo!""

11 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Stole material"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the expensive fur of a mink
  • Similar words include: mink coat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Southern denial"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Something tickled on a piano"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses
  • Similar words include: pearl, tusk, bone
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IVORY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "Buy ___. They're not making it anymore" (old saying)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the land on which real estate is located
  • Similar words include: realm, down, commonwealth
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Philanthropic group with a clock face in its logo"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. The so-called "Pineapple Isle""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an island of central hawaii; a pineapple-growing area
  • Similar words include: Lanai Island
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Goes around and around"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fastener consisting of a metal ring for lining a small hole to permit the attachment of cords or lines
  • Similar words include: iteration, intertwine, loop topology
  • Opposite of: open circuit, uncoil
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Make sense, with "up""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
  • Similar words include: minimal brain damage, append, sum
  • Opposite of: subtract, take away
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "Maggie ___," classic folk song covered by the Beatles"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. ChatGPT, Claude, etc."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency of the united states army responsible for providing timely and relevant and accurate and synchronized intelligence to tactical and operational and strategic level commanders
  • Similar words include: Army Intelligence, three-toed sloth, artificial insemination
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Inflicts"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
  • Similar words include: wreak, work, play
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WREAKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Muse of history"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) the muse of history
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Lasting damage from a tough experience, metaphorically"

11 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Milkshake flavor"

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!

18D: "28. Gospel shout"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a primeval egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at thebes
  • Similar words include: Amun, Amon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "30. "Fountain of Milk Spreading Itself Uselessly on Three Shoes" painter, 1945"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that surrealist spanish painter (1904-1989)
  • Similar words include: Salvador Dali
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DALI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "31. Contented sounds"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a low vibrating sound typical of a contented cat
  • Similar words include: birr, whir, whiz
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PURRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. "Changed my mind," in editing notation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that printing: cancel, as of a correction or deletion
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Curl"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
  • Similar words include: scroll, curlicue, gyre
  • Opposite of: uncoil
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Hip-knee connectors"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the longest and thickest bone of the human skeleton; extends from the pelvis to the knee
  • Similar words include: thighbone, femoris, femur
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEMURS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Source of linseed oil"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fiber of the flax plant that is made into thread and woven into linen fabric
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLAX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. It's all a haze"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
  • Similar words include: smogginess
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Drug bust unit"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one thousand grams; the basic unit of mass adopted under the systeme international d'unites
  • Similar words include: kg, kilogram
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KILO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. Model Miranda"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "47. Make neat"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "48. Large-eyed African antelope with a duplicative name"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. Fixate"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that haunt like a ghost; pursue
  • Similar words include: haunt, ghost
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBSESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "51. Give out"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "52. Neighbor of Ricky and Lucy, on 1950s TV"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "53. Far from house-trained"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wild and menacing
  • Similar words include: ferine, savage
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FERAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "56. Dodgy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that subject to accident or chance or change
  • Similar words include: fluky, flukey, chancy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IFFY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "57. 100%"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that free of extraneous elements of any kind
  • Similar words include: everlasting, thoroughgoing, sodding
  • Opposite of: unsaturated, impure
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PURE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "58. End piece?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a notice of someone's death; usually includes a short biography
  • Similar words include: necrology, obituary
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "59. Belinda's business on "The White Lotus""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a health resort near a spring or at the seaside
  • Similar words include: health spa, watering hole, resort hotel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "60. Prevail"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a victory (as in a race or other competition)
  • Similar words include: bring home the bacon, acquire, advance
  • Opposite of: fall back, losings
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "61. Some test figs."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a measure of a person's intelligence as indicated by an intelligence test; the ratio of a person's mental age to their chronological age (multiplied by 100)
  • Similar words include: IQ, intelligence quotient, I.Q.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IQS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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

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

Last updated: May 21, 2026 at 07:05 AM

Friday, April 10, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers April 10, 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. Phrase said indignantly before a citation 9
2A 10. Place with flasks and alcohol 3
3A 13. Nested birds? 9
4A 14. "___ Atardecer," Bad Bunny song whose name means "Another Sunset" 4
5A 16. "Argh! What is happening?" 15
6A 19. Philosopher Descartes 4
7A 20. Worried 6
8A 21. French word in the middle of a name 3
9A 22. Annoy 3
10A 23. The flying fox is a type of one 3
11A 24. Site with a monument that gets around 7 million ticketed visitors a year 4
12A 25. Totally down (for) 4
13A 27. Topical application 4
14A 29. Like the glass in many a Dale Chihuly sculpture 5
15A 30. Win-win 6
16A 32. California's San ___ Island 6
17A 33. Drift off 7
18A 35. Beatles song with the lyric "I tried to telephone / They said you were not home / That's a lie" 7
19A 36. Privileged groups 6
20A 37. Hot spot 6
21A 38. Unacceptable 5
22A 39. Remove, as from a cluttered container, with "out" 4
23A 40. Title derived from the Persian for "king" 4
24A 43. Anora's husband in "Anora" 4
25A 44. Sat ___ (GPS, to Brits) 3
26A 45. History unit 3
27A 46. One that's hard to catch 3
28A 47. Church congresses 6
29A 50. Foe of Wonder Woman 4
30A 51. Cold shoulder, so to speak 15
31A 54. ___ bar 4
32A 55. Get used to it 9
33A 56. Backup for a trapeze artist 3
34A 57. Popular antibiotic ointment 9

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Phrase said indignantly before a citation"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "10. Place with flasks and alcohol"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a workplace for the conduct of scientific research
  • Similar words include: science lab, research laboratory, research lab
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "13. Nested birds?"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. "___ Atardecer," Bad Bunny song whose name means "Another Sunset""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. "Argh! What is happening?""

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "19. Philosopher Descartes"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "20. Worried"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
  • Similar words include: venerate, dread, fear
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEARED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "21. French word in the middle of a name"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (meaning literally `born') used to indicate the maiden or family name of a married woman
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Annoy"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that irritate or vex
  • Similar words include: gall
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. The flying fox is a type of one"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate
  • Similar words include: flutter, lick, cricket bat
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Site with a monument that gets around 7 million ticketed visitors a year"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a city in northern india; former capital of the mogul empire; site of the taj mahal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Totally down (for)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Topical application"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing
  • Similar words include: unction, ointment, unguent
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BALM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Like the glass in many a Dale Chihuly sculpture"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that mix together different elements
  • Similar words include: commingle, immix, meld
  • Opposite of: defuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FUSED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Win-win"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. California's San ___ Island"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "33. Drift off"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking
  • Similar words include: sidetrack, depart, divagate
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIGRESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. Beatles song with the lyric "I tried to telephone / They said you were not home / That's a lie""

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "36. Privileged groups"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status
  • Similar words include: elite group, elite
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELITES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "37. Hot spot"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that arid land with little or no vegetation
  • Similar words include: abandon, defect, forsake
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DESERT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. Unacceptable"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "39. Remove, as from a cluttered container, with "out""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
  • Similar words include: angle, Pisces the Fishes, Pisces
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FISH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "40. Title derived from the Persian for "king""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that title for the former hereditary monarch of iran
  • Similar words include: Shah of Iran
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "43. Anora's husband in "Anora""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "44. Sat ___ (GPS, to Brits)"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. History unit"

3 letters Category: Common Word

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, epoch, earned run average
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "46. One that's hard to catch"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fatty flesh of eel; an elongate fish found in fresh water in europe and america; large eels are usually smoked or pickled
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "47. Church congresses"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a council convened to discuss ecclesiastical business
  • Similar words include: synod
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SYNODS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "50. Foe of Wonder Woman"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "51. Cold shoulder, so to speak"

15 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "54. ___ bar"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "55. Get used to it"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that get used to a certain climate
  • Similar words include: acclimatise, acclimatize
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACCLIMATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "56. Backup for a trapeze artist"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the tcp/ip network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
  • Similar words include: final, mesh, clear
  • Opposite of: gross
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "57. Popular antibiotic ointment"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that trade name for a topical drug containing several antibacterials; used as an ointment for skin irritations and in the form of eyedrops for minor eye infections
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEOSPORIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Pop-punk band named after a video game company, with "The" 6
2D 2. Once, e.g. 6
3D 3. Fully appreciating something 15
4D 4. Wait for a passenger, perhaps 4
5D 5. Status ___ 3
6D 6. Bay Area sch. 4
7D 7. "___ From Muskogee" (Merle Haggard song) 4
8D 8. Within the realm of reason 7
9D 9. "Storage unit" of memory in the brain 6
10D 10. W.N.B.A. star Jewell ___ 4
11D 11. C-store offering 3
12D 12. Comes in last 15
13D 15. Like the original Looney Tunes shorts, lengthwise 7
14D 17. Linked up with 3
15D 18. Like assassins and some sins 6
16D 24. Helical tools 6
17D 26. Actor Edward of "A Complete Unknown" 6
18D 27. Big cheese 4
19D 28. Nincompoop 3
20D 29. Awesome, in slang 4
21D 31. Key ingredient in Bridget's blue soup, in "Bridget Jones's Diary" 4
22D 32. Dance wildly, in a way 4
23D 33. Ixnays 6
24D 34. "Yas queen!" 7
25D 35. Legend of Zelda console inits. 3
26D 37. Split decision? 7
27D 39. Chinese gambling game invented during the Northern and Southern dynasties 6
28D 41. "That's true about me, right?" 6
29D 42. Expedite 6
30D 44. Big Apple media inits. 3
31D 47. Mini-tantrum 4
32D 48. Empire State Building's style, informally 4
33D 49. Pizza shop in "Do the Right Thing" 4
34D 50. Snowballs, sometimes 4
35D 52. Squeeze (out) 3
36D 53. Q follower 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Pop-punk band named after a video game company, with "The""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Once, e.g."

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Fully appreciating something"

15 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Wait for a passenger, perhaps"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Status ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Bay Area sch."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "___ From Muskogee" (Merle Haggard song)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Within the realm of reason"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that based on sound reasoning or evidence
  • Similar words include: well-founded
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TENABLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. "Storage unit" of memory in the brain"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a postulated biochemical change (presumably in neural tissue) that represents a memory
  • Similar words include: memory trace
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENGRAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. W.N.B.A. star Jewell ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. C-store offering"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of pressure: the pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 mm high at sea level and 0 degrees centigrade
  • Similar words include: automated teller machine, standard atmosphere, atmosphere
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Comes in last"

15 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "15. Like the original Looney Tunes shorts, lengthwise"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "17. Linked up with"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that come together
  • Similar words include: play, assemble, satisfy
  • Opposite of: diverge
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "18. Like assassins and some sins"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that causing or capable of causing death
  • Similar words include: lifelessly, deathly, mortal
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEADLY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Helical tools"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long flexible steel coil for dislodging stoppages in curved pipes
  • Similar words include: plumber's snake, auger, wimble
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AUGERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Actor Edward of "A Complete Unknown""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Big cheese"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who exercises control over workers
  • Similar words include: chief, party boss, foreman
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Nincompoop"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Awesome, in slang"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the event of something burning (often destructive)
  • Similar words include: fuel, force out, flack
  • Opposite of: hire
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Key ingredient in Bridget's blue soup, in "Bridget Jones's Diary""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that plant having a large slender white bulb and flat overlapping dark green leaves; used in cooking; believed derived from the wild allium ampeloprasum
  • Similar words include: Allium porrum, scallion
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEEK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Dance wildly, in a way"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dance the slam dance
  • Similar words include: slam dance, thrash, slam
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOSH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Ixnays"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that declare untrue; contradict
  • Similar words include: abnegate, traverse, refuse
  • Opposite of: allow, admit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DENIES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. "Yas queen!""

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Legend of Zelda console inits."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
  • Similar words include: northeast, neon, Cornhusker State
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. Split decision?"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the legal dissolution of a marriage
  • Similar words include: disjoint, disassociate, divorcement
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIVORCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. Chinese gambling game invented during the Northern and Southern dynasties"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chinese gambling game; a random number of counters are placed under a bowl and you gamble on how many will be left (0, 1, 2, or 3 modulo 4)
  • Similar words include: sevens, fan tan, parliament
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FANTAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. "That's true about me, right?""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. Expedite"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that act or move at high speed
  • Similar words include: rush, bucket along, hurry
  • Opposite of: linger
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HASTEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. Big Apple media inits."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Mini-tantrum"

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!

32D: "48. Empire State Building's style, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a style of design that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s; marked by stylized forms and geometric designs adapted to mass production
  • Similar words include: art deco
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DECO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Pizza shop in "Do the Right Thing""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "50. Snowballs, sometimes"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that projectiles to be fired from a gun
  • Similar words include: ammunition
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Squeeze (out)"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "53. Q follower"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
  • Similar words include: baksheesh, tilt, bakshis
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

34 Across Clues
36 Down Clues
70 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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

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

Last updated: April 10, 2026 at 05:37 AM