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Monday, May 4, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 04, 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. "The ___ is clear!" 5
2A 6. "Mamma Mia" group 4
3A 10. Spaces, as between teeth 4
4A 14. Author Joyce Carol ___ 5
5A 15. Devices for keyless entry 4
6A 16. Amo, amas, ___ 4
7A 17. "Sleepless in Seattle" or "Legally Blonde," informally 10
8A 19. Actress Dunham or Waithe 4
9A 20. Call from an ump 3
10A 21. Group of connected PCs 3
11A 22. Like some columns and bonds 5
12A 23. Methodical way for something to be built 12
13A 27. "This place is fire" 6
14A 30. Sidney who directed "12 Angry Men" and "The Wiz" 5
15A 31. Japanese camera giant 5
16A 32. "The Lion King" villain 4
17A 34. Soph., jr. and sr. 3
18A 37. Slogan encouraging the use of seatbelts 15
19A 41. Swiss peak 3
20A 42. Enormous 4
21A 43. New England state with the slogan "The Way Life Should Be" 5
22A 44. Used, as a chair 5
23A 47. Shaggy hairstyle 6
24A 48. Simple game requiring steady hands 12
25A 52. Improvise, as a speech 5
26A 53. When a plane is due, for short 3
27A 54. Used to be 3
28A 57. College figure 4
29A 58. Suddenly feels repulsed by a romantic partner ... or a hint to 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across 10
30A 62. Pole on a sailboat 4
31A 63. Tradition for many high school seniors 4
32A 64. Fasten, as a ship's rope 5
33A 65. In addition 4
34A 66. Levelheaded 4
35A 67. "Goodie" on classic radio 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "The ___ is clear!""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the shore of a sea or ocean
  • Similar words include: seashore, sea-coast, glide
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. "Mamma Mia" group"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Spaces, as between teeth"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures
  • Similar words include: disruption, break, interruption
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Author Joyce Carol ___"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that english conspirator who claimed that there was a jesuit plot to assassinate charles ii (1649-1705)
  • Similar words include: Titus Oates, Joyce Carol Oates
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OATES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Devices for keyless entry"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a vest pocket to hold a pocket watch
  • Similar words include: watch pocket, watch chain, fob
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Amo, amas, ___"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. "Sleepless in Seattle" or "Legally Blonde," informally"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Actress Dunham or Waithe"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a russian river in siberia; flows northward into the laptev sea
  • Similar words include: Lena River
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LENA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Call from an ump"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (baseball) a failure by a batter or runner to reach a base safely in baseball
  • Similar words include: verboten, tabu, kayoed
  • Opposite of: safe
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Group of connected PCs"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a local computer network for communication between computers; especially a network connecting computers and word processors and other electronic office equipment to create a communication system between offices
  • Similar words include: local area network
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Like some columns and bonds"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the dialect of ancient greek spoken and written in attica and athens and ionia
  • Similar words include: Ionic dialect, Attic, Classical Greek
  • Opposite of: nonionic
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IONIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Methodical way for something to be built"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. "This place is fire""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Sidney who directed "12 Angry Men" and "The Wiz""

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Japanese camera giant"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. "The Lion King" villain"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mark left (usually on the skin) by the healing of injured tissue
  • Similar words include: scrape, cicatrice, mark
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Soph., jr. and sr."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
  • Similar words include: year, yr, twelvemonth
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. Slogan encouraging the use of seatbelts"

15 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "41. Swiss peak"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any high mountain
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. Enormous"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; - w.r.inge
  • Similar words include: immense, vast, Brobdingnagian
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. New England state with the slogan "The Way Life Should Be""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in new england
  • Similar words include: Pine Tree State, ME
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. Used, as a chair"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "47. Shaggy hairstyle"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Simple game requiring steady hands"

12 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "52. Improvise, as a speech"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "53. When a plane is due, for short"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "54. Used to be"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in northwestern united states on the pacific
  • Similar words include: exist, represent, comprise
  • Opposite of: differ
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "57. College figure"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an administrator in charge of a division of a university or college
  • Similar words include: James Byron Dean, doyen, James Dean
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "58. Suddenly feels repulsed by a romantic partner ... or a hint to 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "62. Pole on a sailboat"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a vertical spar for supporting sails
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "63. Tradition for many high school seniors"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a formal ball held for a school class toward the end of the academic year
  • Similar words include: promenade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "64. Fasten, as a ship's rope"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something to which a mountain climber's rope can be secured
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BELAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "65. In addition"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "66. Levelheaded"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
  • Similar words include: reasonable
  • Opposite of: insane
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "67. "Goodie" on classic radio"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a song that was formerly popular
  • Similar words include: golden oldie
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLDIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. 2017 Pixar film set in Mexico 4
2D 2. Third-largest Hawaiian island 4
3D 3. Going ___ (fighting) 4
4D 4. Part of a min. 3
5D 5. Chiding sound 3
6D 6. Insurance company whose mascot is a duck 5
7D 7. Sound effect for a bop on the head 5
8D 8. Eng. channel 3
9D 9. Request 3
10D 10. Aplenty 6
11D 11. Bag of hotel room freebies, say 10
12D 12. Feel a suddenly overwhelming fear 5
13D 13. Serving of pancakes 5
14D 18. Move like a fairy 4
15D 22. Tech giant founded in 1911 3
16D 23. Voting group 4
17D 24. Skating locale 4
18D 25. Play loudly, as from a speaker 5
19D 26. Traditional circular dwelling 4
20D 27. Ancient Peruvian 4
21D 28. Cash drawer 4
22D 29. Plays hooky 10
23D 32. Shocks into silence 5
24D 33. Part of a gearwheel 3
25D 35. Nevada city near Lake Tahoe 4
26D 36. Bit of a staircase 4
27D 38. Flapjack franchise 4
28D 39. Reassurance after a loud crash, say 4
29D 40. Puts a limit on 4
30D 45. Resembling 6
31D 46. Spot for three men in a nursery rhyme 3
32D 47. Exam for a future doc 4
33D 48. Culinary personality Lakshmi 5
34D 49. Best imaginable 5
35D 50. Wyoming's Grand ___ National Park 5
36D 51. "Hi, you know who this is" 5
37D 54. Undomesticated 4
38D 55. Smoothie "superfood" 4
39D 56. Scottish terrier breed 4
40D 58. Rte. finder 3
41D 59. Long time in history 3
42D 60. Network for "Succession" and "The Wire" 3
43D 61. Slithery fish 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. 2017 Pixar film set in Mexico"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tall palm tree bearing coconuts as fruits; widely planted throughout the tropics
  • Similar words include: coconut, Cocos nucifera, coconut palm
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COCO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Third-largest Hawaiian island"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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!

3D: "3. Going ___ (fighting)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Part of a min."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the systeme international d'unites
  • Similar words include: s, unsweet, second
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Chiding sound"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Insurance company whose mascot is a duck"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sound effect for a bop on the head"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Eng. channel"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Request"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that inquire about
  • Similar words include: involve, demand, inquire
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Aplenty"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in great numbers
  • Similar words include: abounding
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GALORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Bag of hotel room freebies, say"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Feel a suddenly overwhelming fear"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
  • Similar words include: affright, terror, scare
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PANIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Serving of pancakes"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an orderly pile
  • Similar words include: hatful, sight, plenty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STACK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Move like a fairy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sudden quick movement
  • Similar words include: fleet, dart, flutter
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Tech giant founded in 1911"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Voting group"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a group of countries in special alliance
  • Similar words include: axis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLOC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Skating locale"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that building that contains a surface for ice skating or roller skating
  • Similar words include: skating rink
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "25. Play loudly, as from a speaker"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud harsh or strident noise
  • Similar words include: clamor, claxon, cacophony
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "26. Traditional circular dwelling"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a circular domed dwelling that is portable and self-supporting; originally used by nomadic mongol and turkic people of central asia but now used as inexpensive alternative or temporary housing
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YURT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "27. Ancient Peruvian"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a ruler of the incas (or a member of his family)
  • Similar words include: Incan, Inka
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "28. Cash drawer"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that unstratified soil deposited by a glacier; consists of sand and clay and gravel and boulders mixed together
  • Similar words include: money box, trough, public treasury
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TILL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "29. Plays hooky"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. Shocks into silence"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
  • Similar words include: stupefy, stun, daze
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "33. Part of a gearwheel"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a subordinate who performs an important but routine function
  • Similar words include: sprocket
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Nevada city near Lake Tahoe"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a city in western nevada at the foot of the sierra nevada mountains; known for gambling casinos and easy divorce and remarriage
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RENO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "36. Bit of a staircase"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
  • Similar words include: pace, ill-use, tread
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "38. Flapjack franchise"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "39. Reassurance after a loud crash, say"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "40. Puts a limit on"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "45. Resembling"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "46. Spot for three men in a nursery rhyme"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body
  • Similar words include: bath, tubful, bathing tub
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "47. Exam for a future doc"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "48. Culinary personality Lakshmi"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "49. Best imaginable"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
  • Similar words include: saint, apotheosis, nonpareil
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "50. Wyoming's Grand ___ National Park"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the large western branch of sioux people which was made up of several groups that lived on the plains
  • Similar words include: Lakota, Teton Sioux, Teton Dakota
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TETON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "51. "Hi, you know who this is""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "54. Undomesticated"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wild primitive state untouched by civilization
  • Similar words include: unfounded, violent, waste
  • Opposite of: tame
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WILD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "55. Smoothie "superfood""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "56. Scottish terrier breed"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "58. Rte. finder"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a navigational system involving satellites and computers that can determine the latitude and longitude of a receiver on earth by computing the time difference for signals from different satellites to reach the receiver
  • Similar words include: Global Positioning System
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "59. Long time in history"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
  • Similar words include: earned run average, epoch, geological era
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "60. Network for "Succession" and "The Wire""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "61. Slithery fish"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

35 Across Clues
43 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 04, 2026 at 06:26 AM

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 25, 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. [Taps casino table] 5
2A 6. Signs of treble? 5
3A 11. ___ hair (edgy 2000s trend) 3
4A 14. Longtime "Inside the NBA" analyst opposite Barkley 5
5A 15. Deck in divination 5
6A 16. Mil. authority 3
7A 17. Failing to pay bills on time may affect this 11
8A 19. Possessed 3
9A 20. Lotto-like casino game 4
10A 21. Summer treats in small cups 4
11A 22. Sounds of sudden vanishing 5
12A 24. Zero 4
13A 26. Inverse of kilo- 5
14A 27. "Self-Portrait With Bandaged Ear" painter, 1889 14
15A 32. Pair of cymbals in a drum kit 5
16A 33. Tribal home, maybe, informally 3
17A 34. Reason to take a painkiller 4
18A 35. So-called "melting pot," in brief 3
19A 36. E-bike alternative 7
20A 40. One ___ time 3
21A 41. Bubbles in a bubble bath 4
22A 43. A QR code might access one 3
23A 44. Purplish perennial 5
24A 46. Villain ranked #1 on A.F.I.'s "100 Years ... 100 Heroes & Villains" list 14
25A 50. Ransacks 5
26A 51. Retail chain with ready-to-assemble products 4
27A 52. Stays in line, say 5
28A 53. Hawaiian goose 4
29A 55. Thumbs-down votes 4
30A 59. Buried 3
31A 60. Emulates the three figures in this puzzle ... or what the figures do within the answers to 17-, 27- and 46-Across? 11
32A 63. Fruit drink 3
33A 64. On a higher level 5
34A 65. Second-chance show 5
35A 66. Org. with metal detectors 3
36A 67. Supped 5
37A 68. Paradises 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. [Taps casino table]"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Signs of treble?"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a musical notation written on a staff indicating the pitch of the notes following it
  • Similar words include: clef
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLEFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. ___ hair (edgy 2000s trend)"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Longtime "Inside the NBA" analyst opposite Barkley"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Deck in divination"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of a set of (usually 72) cards that include 22 cards representing virtues and vices and death and fortune etc.; used by fortunetellers
  • Similar words include: tarot card
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAROT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Mil. authority"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Failing to pay bills on time may affect this"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Possessed"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense
  • Similar words include: ingest, receive, sustain
  • Opposite of: refuse, abstain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Lotto-like casino game"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a game in which numbered balls are drawn at random and players cover the corresponding numbers on their cards
  • Similar words include: bingo, lotto, beano
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KENO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Summer treats in small cups"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water frozen in the solid state
  • Similar words include: ice, frost, deoxyephedrine
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Sounds of sudden vanishing"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that offensive term for an openly homosexual man
  • Similar words include: pouf, poof, pansy
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POOFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Zero"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quantity of no importance
  • Similar words include: cipher, zip, zippo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NADA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Inverse of kilo-"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. "Self-Portrait With Bandaged Ear" painter, 1889"

14 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Pair of cymbals in a drum kit"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. Tribal home, maybe, informally"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Reason to take a painkiller"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dull persistent (usually moderately intense) pain
  • Similar words include: languish, smart, hurt
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACHE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. So-called "melting pot," in brief"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that north american republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in north america plus alaska in northwest north america and the hawaiian islands in the pacific ocean; achieved independence in 1776
  • Similar words include: U.S., US, U. S. Army
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "36. E-bike alternative"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a motorboat resembling a motor scooter
  • Similar words include: motor scooter, sea scooter, water scooter
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCOOTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. One ___ time"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. Bubbles in a bubble bath"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the froth produced by soaps or detergents
  • Similar words include: spume, froth, lather
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. A QR code might access one"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the address of a web page on the world wide web
  • Similar words include: universal resource locator, uniform resource locator
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: URL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Purplish perennial"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various chiefly fall-blooming herbs of the genus aster with showy daisylike flowers
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Villain ranked #1 on A.F.I.'s "100 Years ... 100 Heroes & Villains" list"

14 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "50. Ransacks"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that goods or money obtained illegally
  • Similar words include: sugar, swag, despoil
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Retail chain with ready-to-assemble products"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "52. Stays in line, say"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that time during which some action is awaited
  • Similar words include: await, waiting, hold off
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. Hawaiian goose"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. Thumbs-down votes"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: nay
  • Opposite of: yea
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAYS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "59. Buried"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "60. Emulates the three figures in this puzzle ... or what the figures do within the answers to 17-, 27- and 46-Across?"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "63. Fruit drink"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice
  • Similar words include: fruit drink
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "64. On a higher level"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an earlier section of a written text
  • Similar words include: supra, higher up, to a higher place
  • Opposite of: below
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABOVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "65. Second-chance show"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a program that is broadcast again
  • Similar words include: rebroadcast
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RERUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "66. Org. with metal detectors"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency established in 2001 to safeguard united states transportation systems and insure safe air travel
  • Similar words include: Transportation Security Administration
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "67. Supped"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have supper; eat dinner
  • Similar words include: boom, din, dine
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DINED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "68. Paradises"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
  • Similar words include: Garden of Eden, Shangri-la, promised land
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Pawn 4
2D 2. Concerning 4
3D 3. One subject to a curfew, maybe 4
4D 4. So-called "Queen of Pop" 7
5D 5. Former Giant Manning 3
6D 6. Healthy self-image? 6
7D 7. Tie up 4
8D 8. God depicted with a bow 4
9D 9. Word between "word" and "word" 3
10D 10. Intervene 6
11D 11. Sound-track? 10
12D 12. Combatant in an octagon-shaped cage 10
13D 13. Calculated ratios 4
14D 18. Era competitor 4
15D 23. Gymnast Korbut dubbed the "Sparrow from Minsk" 4
16D 25. Behaves 4
17D 26. Where you might lose your way 4
18D 27. Demo graphics, maybe 10
19D 28. "This is news to me!" 10
20D 29. Cyber punk? 5
21D 30. Tick doc 3
22D 31. When repeated, "Preach!" 4
23D 32. When repeated, secret 4
24D 37. Bear's heirs? 4
25D 38. 60 minuti 3
26D 39. Pulse quickly, as the heart 4
27D 42. Bratty kid 4
28D 45. Was a fangirl of, say 7
29D 47. "Really awful" 6
30D 48. Connected 6
31D 49. Scraped (by) 4
32D 52. "Huh?" 4
33D 53. Like the sign for Radio City Music Hall 4
34D 54. Roof projection 4
35D 56. Farming area 4
36D 57. Actor Steven of "Beef" and "Nope" 4
37D 58. Tax IDs 4
38D 61. Result of a solo homer, for short 3
39D 62. "There you ___!" 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Pawn"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of several white wines from the rhine river valley in germany (`hock' is british usage)
  • Similar words include: Rhine wine, pawn, hock-joint
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOCK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Concerning"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. One subject to a curfew, maybe"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity
  • Similar words include: teenage, adolescent, teenaged
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. So-called "Queen of Pop""

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the mother of jesus; christians refer to her as the virgin mary; she is especially honored by roman catholics
  • Similar words include: Madonna Louise Ciccone, Blessed Virgin, Mary
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADONNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Former Giant Manning"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Healthy self-image?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Tie up"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. God depicted with a bow"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Word between "word" and "word""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Intervene"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Sound-track?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Combatant in an octagon-shaped cage"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Calculated ratios"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
  • Similar words include: betting odds
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Era competitor"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
  • Similar words include: surge, lunar time period
  • Opposite of: ebb
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "23. Gymnast Korbut dubbed the "Sparrow from Minsk""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. Behaves"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a new testament book describing the development of the early church from christ's ascension to paul's sojourn at rome
  • Similar words include: dissemble, play, routine
  • Opposite of: refrain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Where you might lose your way"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost
  • Similar words include: labyrinth, tangle, snarl
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Demo graphics, maybe"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. "This is news to me!""

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Cyber punk?"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (scandanavian folklore) a supernatural creature (either a dwarf or a giant) that is supposed to live in caves or in the mountains
  • Similar words include: round, trolling
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TROLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Tick doc"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a doctor who practices veterinary medicine
  • Similar words include: veteran, veterinary surgeon, veterinarian
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. When repeated, "Preach!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
  • Similar words include: try, see, find out
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. When repeated, secret"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (poetic) tranquil silence
  • Similar words include: shut up, quieten, quiet down
  • Opposite of: louden
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUSH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Bear's heirs?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an awkward and inexperienced youth
  • Similar words include: sonny boy, sonny, rookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. 60 minuti"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mouth or mouthlike opening
  • Similar words include: os, bone, oculus sinister
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Pulse quickly, as the heart"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any competition
  • Similar words include: hasten, cannonball along, hotfoot
  • Opposite of: linger
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Bratty kid"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person regarded as arrogant and annoying
  • Similar words include: snob, snoot, prig
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "45. Was a fangirl of, say"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. "Really awful""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "48. Connected"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make a logical or causal connection
  • Similar words include: colligate, joined, link up
  • Opposite of: disconnect, dissociate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LINKED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. Scraped (by)"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "52. "Huh?""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "53. Like the sign for Radio City Music Hall"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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: Ne, atomic number 10
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "54. Roof projection"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "56. Farming area"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in english-speaking countries
  • Similar words include: Accho, Akko, Akka
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Actor Steven of "Beef" and "Nope""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "58. Tax IDs"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "61. Result of a solo homer, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "62. "There you ___!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters
  • Similar words include: equal, comprise, follow
  • Opposite of: differ
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARE

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

37 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: February 25, 2026 at 05:09 AM