Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (35 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (39 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky
Pro Tip: Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues - they're usually the easiest entry points!
Across Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | 1. Word before baked or naked | 4 |
| 2A | 5. Pinnacles | 5 |
| 3A | 10. Thousand ___, city that's part of Greater Los Angeles | 4 |
| 4A | 14. ___ Sea, body of water that lost 90% of its volume to irrigation | 4 |
| 5A | 15. Not secured | 5 |
| 6A | 16. Arm part | 4 |
| 7A | 17. It might have many sides | 4 |
| 8A | 18. "Yes, sir!," to an ancient Roman? | 10 |
| 9A | 20. Like photons, but not protons | 8 |
| 10A | 22. Passes out | 6 |
| 11A | 23. Sarcastic laugh syllable | 3 |
| 12A | 24. Yea or nay | 4 |
| 13A | 25. Sailor's bearings, to an ancient Roman? | 11 |
| 14A | 30. Flu-fighting org. | 3 |
| 15A | 33. Met someone? | 9 |
| 16A | 34. "Begone!" | 4 |
| 17A | 35. Milky Way explosion | 4 |
| 18A | 36. Live | 5 |
| 19A | 38. Many a commencement speaker, in brief | 4 |
| 20A | 39. Had the answer | 4 |
| 21A | 40. Your mind's eye? | 9 |
| 22A | 42. "To be," in Iberia | 3 |
| 23A | 43. Certain Microsoft Office files, to an ancient Roman? | 11 |
| 24A | 45. Destination for 2025's ESCAPADE satellites | 4 |
| 25A | 46. "Cobra ___" (Netflix series) | 3 |
| 26A | 47. Chicken | 6 |
| 27A | 50. Something you might keep tabs on? | 8 |
| 28A | 55. Prestigious group of schools, to an ancient Roman? | 10 |
| 29A | 57. Lack of friction | 4 |
| 30A | 58. A wine (with an accent), or a flower (without one) | 4 |
| 31A | 59. Farm measures | 5 |
| 32A | 60. Genetic communicator, for short | 4 |
| 33A | 61. Lyrical works | 4 |
| 34A | 62. Bare amount | 5 |
| 35A | 63. Gym units | 4 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Word before baked or naked"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that one of two equal parts of a divisible whole
- Similar words include: one-half
- Opposite of: whole
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALF
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "5. Pinnacles"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
- Similar words include: tiptop, summit, vertex
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACMES
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3A: "10. Thousand ___, city that's part of Greater Los Angeles"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
- Similar words include: oak tree, oak
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAKS
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4A: "14. ___ Sea, body of water that lost 90% of its volume to irrigation"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARAL
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5A: "15. Not secured"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that grant freedom to; free from confinement
- Similar words include: release, wanton, promiscuous
- Opposite of: confine, stiffen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOSE
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6A: "16. Arm part"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the inner and longer of the two bones of the human forearm
- Similar words include: elbow bone
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ULNA
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7A: "17. It might have many sides"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a list of dishes available at a restaurant
- Similar words include: computer menu, bill of fare, carte du jour
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENU
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8A: "18. "Yes, sir!," to an ancient Roman?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWOCAPTAIN
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9A: "20. Like photons, but not protons"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASSLESS
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10A: "22. Passes out"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain
- Similar words include: swoon, syncope, deliquium
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAINTS
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11A: "23. Sarcastic laugh syllable"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAR
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12A: "24. Yea or nay"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
- Similar words include: suffrage, voting, right to vote
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VOTE
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13A: "25. Sailor's bearings, to an ancient Roman?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUNDREDLEGS
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14A: "30. Flu-fighting org."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a federal agency in the department of health and human services; located in atlanta; investigates and diagnoses and tries to control or prevent diseases (especially new and unusual diseases)
- Similar words include: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CDC
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15A: "33. Met someone?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a patron of the opera
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPERAGOER
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16A: "34. "Begone!""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that drive away by crying `shoo!'
- Similar words include: shoo away, shoo off
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOO
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17A: "35. Milky Way explosion"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOVA
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18A: "36. Live"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONAIR
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19A: "38. Many a commencement speaker, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum
- Similar words include: grad, ammonium alum, potassium alum
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALUM
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20A: "39. Had the answer"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
- Similar words include: be intimate, hump, cognise
- Opposite of: ignore
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNEW
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21A: "40. Your mind's eye?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPTICLOBE
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22A: "42. "To be," in Iberia"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SER
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23A: "43. Certain Microsoft Office files, to an ancient Roman?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORTYSHEETS
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24A: "45. Destination for 2025's ESCAPADE satellites"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
- Similar words include: defect, deflower, mutilate
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARS
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25A: "46. "Cobra ___" (Netflix series)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KAI
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26A: "47. Chicken"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that filled with fear or apprehension
- Opposite of: unafraid
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRAID
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27A: "50. Something you might keep tabs on?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACIDTRIP
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28A: "55. Prestigious group of schools, to an ancient Roman?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOURLEAGUE
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29A: "57. Lack of friction"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
- Similar words include: facilitate, still, comfort
- Opposite of: difficulty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASE
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30A: "58. A wine (with an accent), or a flower (without one)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of many shrubs of the genus rosa that bear roses
- Similar words include: rosiness, resurrect, rebel
- Opposite of: wane, turn in
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSE
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31A: "59. Farm measures"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
- Similar words include: land, estate, Akka
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACRES
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32A: "60. Genetic communicator, for short"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the template for protein synthesis; the form of rna that carries information from dna in the nucleus to the ribosome sites of protein synthesis in the cell
- Similar words include: informational RNA, messenger RNA, template RNA
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MRNA
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33A: "61. Lyrical works"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
- Similar words include: ode
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODES
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34A: "62. Bare amount"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that something that is of no importance
- Similar words include: to the lowest degree
- Opposite of: most
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAST
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35A: "63. Gym units"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
- Similar words include: circle, solidification, coiffure
- Opposite of: rise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETS
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Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Jon of "Top Gun: Maverick" | 4 |
| 2D | 2. Integral calculation | 4 |
| 3D | 3. Setups for some routers, in brief | 4 |
| 4D | 4. Poker holding of four cards of the same suit | 9 |
| 5D | 5. Clark Kent has one | 8 |
| 6D | 6. Barnyard producers of 7-Down | 4 |
| 7D | 7. Sounds produced by 6-Down | 4 |
| 8D | 8. Key next to a Touch Bar on some Mac laptops | 3 |
| 9D | 9. Ocean mist | 6 |
| 10D | 10. Convex physical feature | 5 |
| 11D | 11. EGOT-winning composer Menken | 4 |
| 12D | 12. Furrow, as one's brow | 4 |
| 13D | 13. Without | 4 |
| 14D | 19. Gillette Stadium team in the N.F.L., to fans | 4 |
| 15D | 21. TV journalist Spencer | 4 |
| 16D | 24. Truth | 6 |
| 17D | 25. Traffic jam cacophony | 5 |
| 18D | 26. Barely winning, say | 5 |
| 19D | 27. Word on either side of "say" | 5 |
| 20D | 28. People one might meet at a drive | 6 |
| 21D | 29. Bounded | 5 |
| 22D | 30. Olympic snowboarder Kim | 5 |
| 23D | 31. Reservations | 5 |
| 24D | 32. Shows up | 5 |
| 25D | 34. Bargain hunter's targets | 9 |
| 26D | 37. Most perilous | 8 |
| 27D | 41. Country that forms a tripoint border with Niger and Nigeria | 4 |
| 28D | 43. Fall short | 4 |
| 29D | 44. Test of will | 6 |
| 30D | 45. Stable females | 5 |
| 31D | 47. Hairstyle sported by painter Bob Ross | 4 |
| 32D | 48. "There is no love sincerer than the love of ___": George Bernard Shaw | 4 |
| 33D | 49. Villainous ploy | 4 |
| 34D | 50. Eastern city with a famous mausoleum | 4 |
| 35D | 51. Prompts | 4 |
| 36D | 52. Like blue lobsters | 4 |
| 37D | 53. "That ___ funny" | 4 |
| 38D | 54. "Mushy" side dish with fish and chips | 4 |
| 39D | 56. Esteemed fighter pilot | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Jon of "Top Gun: Maverick""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAMM
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2D: "2. Integral calculation"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
- Similar words include: expanse, surface area, domain
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Setups for some routers, in brief"
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: LAN, local area network
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Poker holding of four cards of the same suit"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLUSHDRAW
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5D: "5. Clark Kent has one"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALTEREGO
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6D: "6. Barnyard producers of 7-Down"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age; ; ; - bible
- Similar words include: cow, oxen, cattle
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COWS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Sounds produced by 6-Down"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the sound made by a cow or bull
- Similar words include: low, moo
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOOS
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8D: "8. Key next to a Touch Bar on some Mac laptops"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESC
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9D: "9. Ocean mist"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAFOG
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10D: "10. Convex physical feature"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUTIE
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11D: "11. EGOT-winning composer Menken"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALAN
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12D: "12. Furrow, as one's brow"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fabric made by knitting
- Similar words include: pucker, cockle, entwine
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. Without"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANS
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14D: "19. Gillette Stadium team in the N.F.L., to fans"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the sound made by a gentle blow
- Similar words include: pat, tap, rap
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PATS
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15D: "21. TV journalist Spencer"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LARA
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16D: "24. Truth"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that conformity to reality or actuality
- Similar words include: trueness, the true, truth
- Opposite of: falsity
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VERITY
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17D: "25. Traffic jam cacophony"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the cry of a goose (or any sound resembling this)
- Similar words include: regurgitate, blare, barf
- Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "26. Barely winning, say"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UPONE
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19D: "27. Word on either side of "say""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that not ever; at no time in the past or future
- Similar words include: ne'er
- Opposite of: ever
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEVER
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20D: "28. People one might meet at a drive"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that person who makes a gift of property
- Similar words include: donor, giver, conferrer
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DONORS
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21D: "29. Bounded"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that move forward by leaps and bounds
- Similar words include: jump off, jump, leap
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAPT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "30. Olympic snowboarder Kim"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHLOE
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23D: "31. Reservations"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the state of being unsure of something
- Similar words include: incertitude, uncertainty, question
- Opposite of: certainty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOUBT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "32. Shows up"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
- Similar words include: seminal fluid, fall, arrive
- Opposite of: go, leave
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMES
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25D: "34. Bargain hunter's targets"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALEITEMS
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26D: "37. Most perilous"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that involving risk or danger
- Similar words include: wild, high-risk, hazardous
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RISKIEST
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27D: "41. Country that forms a tripoint border with Niger and Nigeria"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
- Similar words include: Chadic language, Lake Chad, Tchad
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "43. Fall short"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that fail to do something; leave something undone
- Similar words include: flush it, conk out, die
- Opposite of: manage, pass
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAIL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "44. Test of will"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a severe or trying experience
- Similar words include: trial by ordeal
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORDEAL
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30D: "45. Stable females"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that female equine animal
- Similar words include: female horse, deflower, mutilate
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "47. Hairstyle sported by painter Bob Ross"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a rounded thickly curled hairdo
- Similar words include: Afro hairdo
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32D: "48. "There is no love sincerer than the love of ___": George Bernard Shaw"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
- Similar words include: solid food, food for thought, intellectual nourishment
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOOD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33D: "49. Villainous ploy"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture)
- Similar words include: artifice
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUSE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34D: "50. Eastern city with a famous mausoleum"
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!
35D: "51. Prompts"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech
- Similar words include: pool cue, cue stick, clew
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
36D: "52. Like blue lobsters"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
- Similar words include: rarefied, uncommon, rarified
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RARE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
37D: "53. "That ___ funny""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISNT
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38D: "54. "Mushy" side dish with fish and chips"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that seed of a pea plant used for food
- Similar words include: pea, pea plant
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
39D: "56. Esteemed fighter pilot"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
- Similar words include: superstar, top-notch, hotshot
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACE
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
39 Down Clues
74 Total Clues
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