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

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 16, 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. Bluffer's giveaway 4
2A 5. Dessert that wiggles 5
3A 10. Obsessive captain of fiction 4
4A 14. "___, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio" 4
5A 15. Like a loud crowd 5
6A 16. Trio minus one 4
7A 17. Pontiff's emblem with three horizontal bars 10
8A 19. Martial art with shoulder throws 4
9A 20. On the line 7
10A 21. Bottom of a long column, say 5
11A 23. "Capisce?" 3
12A 24. Spearheaded 3
13A 25. Think pieces, for short 5
14A 28. Incensed 3
15A 29. Amigo 8
16A 32. Ancient Brit for whom a language was named 4
17A 34. Opening of a news article, in journalism lingo 4
18A 35. It scratches the itch 4
19A 36. Hemingway tale about an elderly fisherman, with "The" ... or a phonetic hint to four sets of circled letters in this puzzle? 15
20A 39. Party with glowsticks 4
21A 40. Smidgens 4
22A 41. The Beatles' "Back in the ___" 4
23A 42. Crustaceans sometimes called "mudbugs" 8
24A 44. Test for a future Ph.D. 3
25A 45. Monsieur, in Madrid 5
26A 46. Fishing tool 3
27A 47. Maple tree harvest 3
28A 50. Where the rubber meets the road 5
29A 53. "That's my next move" 7
30A 55. "... ???" 4
31A 57. Open some bubbly with a bang 10
32A 59. "Logan" actor Jackman 4
33A 60. "The Price Is Right" unveiling 5
34A 61. Cleveland's lake 4
35A 62. Be a good dog, say 4
36A 63. Half-goat follower of Dionysus 5
37A 64. Honeybunch 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Bluffer's giveaway"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap)
  • Similar words include: say, order, distinguish
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Dessert that wiggles"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fruit-flavored dessert (trade mark jell-o) made from a commercially prepared gelatin powder
  • Similar words include: Jell-O
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JELLO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Obsessive captain of fiction"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that according to the old testament he was a pagan king of israel and husband of jezebel (9th century bc)
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHAB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. "___, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism
  • Similar words include: unfortunately, ala, regrettably
  • Opposite of: luckily, fortunately
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Like a loud crowd"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Trio minus one"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a set of two similar things considered as a unit
  • Similar words include: twain, yoke, partner off
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Pontiff's emblem with three horizontal bars"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Martial art with shoulder throws"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sport adapted from jujitsu (using principles of not resisting) and similar to wrestling; developed in japan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JUDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. On the line"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Bottom of a long column, say"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the whole amount
  • Similar words include: tote up, come, summate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOTAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. "Capisce?""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
  • Similar words include: escort, image, find out
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Spearheaded"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
  • Similar words include: guide, light-emitting diode, lead
  • Opposite of: follow
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Think pieces, for short"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Incensed"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roused to anger; - mark twain
  • Similar words include: crazy, unhinged, harebrained
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "29. Amigo"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. Ancient Brit for whom a language was named"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a gaelic-speaking celt in ireland or scotland or the isle of man
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Opening of a news article, in journalism lingo"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the introductory section of a story
  • Similar words include: lead, lead-in
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. It scratches the itch"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
  • Similar words include: sail through, collar, arrest
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "36. Hemingway tale about an elderly fisherman, with "The" ... or a phonetic hint to four sets of circled letters in this puzzle?"

15 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Party with glowsticks"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dance party that lasts all night and electronically synthesized music is played
  • Similar words include: gush, jabber, spout
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Smidgens"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small piece or quantity of something
  • Similar words include: flake, fleck, second
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. The Beatles' "Back in the ___""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "42. Crustaceans sometimes called "mudbugs""

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tiny lobster-like crustaceans usually boiled briefly
  • Similar words include: crayfish, crawfish, ecrevisse
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRAWDADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Test for a future Ph.D."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "45. Monsieur, in Madrid"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "46. Fishing tool"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin implement made of metal or wood
  • Similar words include: perch, rod cell, gat
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "47. Maple tree harvest"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant
  • Similar words include: run down, blackjack, tomfool
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "50. Where the rubber meets the road"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a step in walking or running
  • Similar words include: trample, stride, step
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TREAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. "That's my next move""

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. "... ???""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. Open some bubbly with a bang"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "59. "Logan" actor Jackman"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "60. "The Price Is Right" unveiling"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
  • Similar words include: appreciate, respect, trophy
  • Opposite of: disrespect, disesteem
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRIZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "61. Cleveland's lake"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of an iroquoian people formerly living on the south shore of lake erie in northern ohio and northwest pennsylvania and western new york
  • Similar words include: Lake Erie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "62. Be a good dog, say"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be obedient to
  • Opposite of: disobey
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "63. Half-goat follower of Dionysus"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that man with strong sexual desires
  • Similar words include: lech, letch, forest god
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SATYR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "64. Honeybunch"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
  • Similar words include: costly, honey, dearly
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Patatas bravas and croquetas, e.g. 5
2D 2. Fill with joy 5
3D 3. Momentary slip 5
4D 4. Exam for a future J.D. 4
5D 5. Very muscular, in slang 6
6D 6. Dropped the ball 5
7D 7. "Facilities," in Britain 3
8D 8. Place for the highest-scoring golfer 4
9D 9. Ish 4
10D 10. College-credit class that says sayonara to H.S.? 10
11D 11. Really booked it 9
12D 12. Charitable contributions, collectively 3
13D 13. "Dude!" 3
14D 18. Fingers-in-ears syllables 6
15D 22. Word with tank or tip 3
16D 26. Less sweet, as a wine 5
17D 27. "House" actress Ward 4
18D 28. Like an image just begging to be captioned and shared 10
19D 29. Word appearing on the nickel but not the dime or quarter, surprisingly 5
20D 30. Casino calculations 4
21D 31. Rendezvoused with 3
22D 32. Blinding light 5
23D 33. Upper hand 9
24D 34. Put down gently 4
25D 36. Green-skinned World of Warcraft characters 4
26D 37. Org. with Bulls and Bucks 3
27D 38. Obstacle to overcome 6
28D 43. "The Chronic" rapper, informally 3
29D 44. Animal symbol of the University of Minnesota 6
30D 46. Fancy-schmancy 5
31D 47. [Zzzz] 5
32D 48. Light-filled lobbies 5
33D 49. Game with a World Series held in Las Vegas 5
34D 51. Plates to share, informally 4
35D 52. Cartoon explorer who teaches Spanish 4
36D 54. Crushed, as a test 4
37D 55. Word sung over 100 times in "___ Are You" by the ___ 3
38D 56. Center of activity 3
39D 58. Part of a speedway or the stomach 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Patatas bravas and croquetas, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the thin fibrous bark of the paper mulberry and pipturus albidus
  • Similar words include: tappa bark, tappa, tapa bark
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAPAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Fill with joy"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fill with high spirits; fill with optimism
  • Similar words include: lift up, pick up, intoxicate
  • Opposite of: depress
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Momentary slip"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mistake resulting from inattention
  • Similar words include: recidivate, pass, sink
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAPSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Exam for a future J.D."

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Very muscular, in slang"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lift with a special device
  • Similar words include: jacklight, jack up, jack
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JACKED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Dropped the ball"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to make a mistake or be incorrect
  • Similar words include: err, drift, slip
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERRED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "Facilities," in Britain"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a toilet in britain
  • Similar words include: closet, W.C., water closet
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Place for the highest-scoring golfer"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the temporal end; the concluding time
  • Similar words include: utmost, concluding, in conclusion
  • Opposite of: first
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Ish"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. College-credit class that says sayonara to H.S.?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Really booked it"

9 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Charitable contributions, collectively"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
  • Similar words include: assist, attention, tending
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. "Dude!""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Fingers-in-ears syllables"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Word with tank or tip"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the upper part of anything
  • Similar words include: tiptop, elevation, exceed
  • Opposite of: bottom
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Less sweet, as a wine"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)
  • Similar words include: ironic, dry, wry
  • Opposite of: phlegmy, sweet
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. "House" actress Ward"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Like an image just begging to be captioned and shared"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Word appearing on the nickel but not the dime or quarter, surprisingly"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fractional monetary unit of several countries
  • Similar words include: penny, cent, centime
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CENTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Casino calculations"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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!

21D: "31. Rendezvoused with"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Blinding light"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
  • Similar words include: brilliance, limelight, glower
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GLARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Upper hand"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
  • Similar words include: reward, vantage
  • Opposite of: penalty, disadvantage
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADVANTAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Put down gently"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that put into a certain place or abstract location
  • Similar words include: place, repose, pose
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "36. Green-skinned World of Warcraft characters"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. Org. with Bulls and Bucks"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "38. Obstacle to overcome"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a light movable barrier that competitors must leap over in certain races
  • Similar words include: vault
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HURDLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. "The Chronic" rapper, informally"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Animal symbol of the University of Minnesota"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a zealously energetic person (especially a salesman)
  • Similar words include: Gopherus polypemus, ground squirrel, pouched rat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOPHER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Fancy-schmancy"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that luxuriously elegant
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RITZY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. [Zzzz]"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the rattling noise produced when snoring
  • Similar words include: saw logs, snoring, saw wood
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Light-filled lobbies"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any chamber that is connected to other chambers or passageways (especially one of the two upper chambers of the heart)
  • Similar words include: atrium
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATRIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Game with a World Series held in Las Vegas"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire
  • Similar words include: stove poker, fire hook, salamander
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POKER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Plates to share, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Cartoon explorer who teaches Spanish"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "54. Crushed, as a test"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that succeed at easily
  • Similar words include: nail, sail through, pass with flying colors
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "55. Word sung over 100 times in "___ Are You" by the ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a united nations agency to coordinate international health activities and to help governments improve health services
  • Similar words include: World Health Organization
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WHO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "56. Center of activity"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the central part of a car wheel (or fan or propeller etc) through which the shaft or axle passes
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "58. Part of a speedway or the stomach"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
  • Similar words include: Hell, pitfall, orchestra pit
  • Opposite of: Heaven
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIT

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

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: June 16, 2026 at 09:09 AM

Thursday, October 16, 2025

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 16, 2025 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Moderate

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. "___ Talkin' 'bout Love" (Van Halen song) 4
2A 5. *Treat with kindness 8
3A 10. Noted works of the Roman poet Horace 4
4A 14. Brute 4
5A 15. Statuette modeled after a knight holding a crusader's sword 5
6A 16. Feeling associated with skipping a party, perhaps 4
7A 17. Unchangeable 10
8A 19. Horned creature in "Pan's Labyrinth" 4
9A 20. Hungers for 6
10A 21. Early Germanic people 5
11A 23. Move around the world 5
12A 24. *Expensive 6
13A 26. Lift 5
14A 29. Mardi Gras locale, informally 4
15A 30. Ovarian sac contents 3
16A 31. Fuddy-duddies 6
17A 32. "Still ___" (2022 rap hit) 3
18A 33. Meander 4
19A 34. High lights? 6
20A 35. Practice chiromancy 9
21A 37. Disappear, as a trail 6
22A 40. "Central Park in the Dark" composer 4
23A 41. Music box? 3
24A 44. Diviner 6
25A 45. Jerry's uncle on "Seinfeld" 3
26A 46. Box a bit 4
27A 47. Tonkatsu coating 5
28A 48. *Deli device 6
29A 49. Bug expert, for short 5
30A 50. Invite at the door 5
31A 52. Extreme pressure 6
32A 53. El ___ 4
33A 55. Felt tired during the day, say 10
34A 58. Words to a betrayer 4
35A 59. "The Philosophy of Right" author 5
36A 60. Like a computer with a running screensaver 4
37A 61. How whiskey might be served … with a hint to the answers to the seven starred clues 4
38A 62. *Risky endeavor, idiomatically 8
39A 63. Onetime resident of the Winter Palace 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "___ Talkin' 'bout Love" (Van Halen song)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. *Treat with kindness"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Noted works of the Roman poet Horace"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Brute"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
  • Similar words include: Goth, tyke, churl
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Statuette modeled after a knight holding a crusader's sword"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an annual award by the academy of motion picture arts and sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
  • Similar words include: Academy Award
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSCAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Feeling associated with skipping a party, perhaps"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Unchangeable"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Horned creature in "Pan's Labyrinth""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ancient italian deity in human shape, with horns, pointed ears and a goat's tail; equivalent to greek satyr
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Hungers for"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have a craving, appetite, or great desire for
  • Similar words include: starve, lust, thirst
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRAVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Early Germanic people"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
  • Similar words include: Goth, tyke, boor
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOTHS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Move around the world"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
  • Similar words include: field, scope, reach
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORBIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. *Expensive"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that having a high price
  • Similar words include: costly, high-priced, dear
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRICEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Lift"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lifting device for raising heavy or cumbersome objects
  • Similar words include: run up, lift, wind
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Mardi Gras locale, informally"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Ovarian sac contents"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fish eggs or egg-filled ovary; having a grainy texture
  • Similar words include: hard roe
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Fuddy-duddies"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum
  • Similar words include: puritan, prude
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRUDES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. "Still ___" (2022 rap hit)"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Meander"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that direct one's course or way
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. High lights?"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the first light of day
  • Similar words include: daybreak, sunrise, sunup
  • Opposite of: sunset
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "35. Practice chiromancy"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "37. Disappear, as a trail"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. "Central Park in the Dark" composer"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states composer noted for his innovative use of polytonality (1874-1954)
  • Similar words include: James Ives, Charles Edward Ives, James Merritt Ives
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Music box?"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic unit of electric current adopted under the systeme international d'unites
  • Similar words include: A, adenosine monophosphate, adenylic acid
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Diviner"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an authoritative person who divines the future
  • Similar words include: seer, prophesier, prophet
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORACLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "45. Jerry's uncle on "Seinfeld""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in leo
  • Similar words include: Lion, Leo the Lion
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "46. Box a bit"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various nonmetallic minerals (calcite or feldspar) that are light in color and transparent or translucent and cleavable
  • Similar words include: sparring
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "47. Tonkatsu coating"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "48. *Deli device"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a golfer whose shots typically curve right (for right-handed golfers)
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLICER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "49. Bug expert, for short"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "50. Invite at the door"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "52. Extreme pressure"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that compulsory force or threat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DURESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "53. El ___"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "55. Felt tired during the day, say"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "58. Words to a betrayer"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "59. "The Philosophy of Right" author"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that german philosopher whose three stage process of dialectical reasoning was adopted by karl marx (1770-1831)
  • Similar words include: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEGEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "60. Like a computer with a running screensaver"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "61. How whiskey might be served … with a hint to the answers to the seven starred clues"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that clean or organized
  • Similar words include: corking, refined, bang-up
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "62. *Risky endeavor, idiomatically"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "63. Onetime resident of the Winter Palace"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male monarch or emperor (especially of russia prior to 1917)
  • Similar words include: czar, tzar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Bolt 7
2D 2. Certain Windows hard drive malfunction 7
3D 3. *Conspicuous 10
4D 4. Stupid stuff it's fun to know 6
5D 5. Level-ending foe 4
6D 6. Educated guess: Abbr. 3
7D 7. Sgt., e.g. 3
8D 8. Like lemon curd 5
9D 9. Preceder of "Bites" and "Bars" in commercial names 4
10D 10. *Chance to meet one-on-one with a professor 11
11D 11. "Copy me" 7
12D 12. Runner Down Under 3
13D 13. Certain heir 3
14D 18. Make in the end 3
15D 22. Steady humming sounds 6
16D 24. Locale for catfish or carp 4
17D 25. What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix 7
18D 27. Spanish 101 verb 3
19D 28. Whom you might greet with open arms, for short? 3
20D 30. Novelist Charles who wrote "The Cloister and the Hearth" 5
21D 31. Prefix with botanist 5
22D 33. "Sure … if you say so" 6
23D 35. Enjoys oneself uninhibitedly … or a punny title for this puzzle 8
24D 36. Profess 4
25D 37. Something Lincoln once led, for short 3
26D 38. Italian time unit 3
27D 39. Card game with a winning score of 5,000 points 7
28D 41. *Book addenda 10
29D 42. Chicken ___ 7
30D 43. Thrive 7
31D 46. Narrow channel 6
32D 48. Derisive look 5
33D 49. OB/GYN offering 3
34D 51. Crisply shown, as on TV 4
35D 52. Wooded valley 4
36D 53. Coop 3
37D 54. Performed amazingly, in slang 3
38D 56. Id's counterpart 3
39D 57. The First State: Abbr. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Bolt"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
  • Similar words include: absquatulate, decamp, go off
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABSCOND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Certain Windows hard drive malfunction"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. *Conspicuous"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capable or worthy of being perceived
  • Similar words include: obtrusive, detectable
  • Opposite of: unobtrusive, unnoticeable
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOTICEABLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Stupid stuff it's fun to know"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something of small importance
  • Similar words include: triviality, trivium, small beer
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRIVIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Level-ending foe"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Educated guess: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard time in the 5th time zone west of greenwich, reckoned at the 75th meridian; used in the eastern united states
  • Similar words include: Eastern Standard Time, Eastern Time
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sgt., e.g."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Like lemon curd"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tasting sour like a lemon
  • Similar words include: lemony, sourish, lemonlike
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TANGY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Preceder of "Bites" and "Bars" in commercial names"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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!

10D: "10. *Chance to meet one-on-one with a professor"

11 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "Copy me""

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Runner Down Under"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various systems of units for measuring electricity and magnetism
  • Similar words include: electromagnetic unit, Emu novaehollandiae, Dromaius novaehollandiae
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Certain heir"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male human offspring
  • Similar words include: Word, Logos, boy
  • Opposite of: daughter, girl
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Make in the end"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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: clear, profit, network
  • Opposite of: gross
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Steady humming sounds"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thrumming sound
  • Similar words include: beat, hum, thrum
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THRUMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Locale for catfish or carp"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small lake
  • Similar words include: pool
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Spanish 101 verb"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Whom you might greet with open arms, for short?"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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!

20D: "30. Novelist Charles who wrote "The Cloister and the Hearth""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Prefix with botanist"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. "Sure … if you say so""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Enjoys oneself uninhibitedly … or a punny title for this puzzle"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Profess"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that report or maintain
  • Similar words include: swan, allege, avow
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Something Lincoln once led, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the younger of two major political parties in the united states; gop is an acronym for grand old party
  • Similar words include: Republican Party
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Italian time unit"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mouth or mouthlike opening
  • Similar words include: operating system, osmium, atomic number 76
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. Card game with a winning score of 5,000 points"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a form of rummy using two decks of cards and four jokers; jokers and deuces are wild; the object is to form groups of the same rank
  • Similar words include: meld, basket rummy
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CANASTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. *Book addenda"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that supplementary material that is collected and appended at the back of a book
  • Similar words include: vermiform process, cecal appendage, appendix
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APPENDICES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. Chicken ___"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dark sweet or semisweet dessert wine from sicily
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARSALA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "43. Thrive"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance
  • Similar words include: fly high, thrive, flourish
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROSPER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "46. Narrow channel"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water
  • Similar words include: sound, straits, pass
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STRAIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Derisive look"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a facial expression of contempt or scorn; the upper lip curls
  • Similar words include: leer
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNEER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. OB/GYN offering"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that contraceptive device consisting of a piece of bent plastic or metal that is inserted through the vagina into the uterus
  • Similar words include: intrauterine device
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IUD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Crisply shown, as on TV"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Wooded valley"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small wooded hollow
  • Similar words include: dingle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "53. Coop"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
  • Similar words include: compose, write, penitentiary
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "54. Performed amazingly, in slang"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
  • Similar words include: eat up, eat, eat on
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATE

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38D: "56. Id's counterpart"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others
  • Similar words include: self, self-importance, egotism
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGO

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39D: "57. The First State: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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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

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Last updated: October 16, 2025 at 03:51 AM