Thursday, May 14, 2026 – LA Times Crossword Answers & Hints

LA Times Crossword – May 14, 2026 (Thursday)

Today’s crossword puzzle is fun and a little tricky.

If you are stuck, don’t worry!

Here you can find the answers and help.

Crossword puzzles help us:

• Learn new words
• Improve spelling
• Think smart

Theme Answer: WOODCUT

Clue: Artistic printing method, and a feature of rows 2, 5, 11, and 14 in this puzzle

Answer: WOODCUT

Explanation:

A woodcut is a way of printing pictures. The artist carves a design into wood, puts ink on it, and prints it on paper. Today’s puzzle hides types of wood in four rows.

Across Clues

6A. Thurman of “Pretty Lethal”

Answer: UMA

Explanation: Uma Thurman is a famous actress.

13A. Moral principle

Answer: ETHIC

Explanation: An ethic is a rule about what is right or wrong.

14A. “MAS*H” setting, for short

Answer: KOR

Explanation: MASH takes place in Korea (KOR = short form).

15A. “Butterfly Dance” artist

Answer: YANNI

Explanation: Yanni is a music composer.

19A. College where Robert Frost taught English

Answer: AMHERST

Explanation: Robert Frost was a famous poet who taught at Amherst College.

22A. NYC home of Matisse’s “Landscape at Collioure”

Answer: MOMA

Explanation: MoMA is the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

25A. Taylor-Joy of “The Northman”

Answer: ANYA

Explanation: Anya Taylor-Joy is a movie actress.

34A. “Downton Abbey” cook

Answer: DAISY

Explanation: Daisy is a character in the TV show Downton Abbey.

38A. Here, in Honduras

Answer: ACA

Explanation: In Spanish, “aca” means “here.”

41A. Mod About You polish maker

Answer: OPI

Explanation: OPI is a brand that makes nail polish.

42A. Mexican sandwich

Answer: TORTA

Explanation: A torta is a Mexican sandwich.

50A. Electrically adaptable

Answer: AC/DC

Explanation: AC/DC means it can work with both types of electric current.

55A. Sazerac options

Answer: RYES

Explanation: Rye is a type of grain used in drinks.

58A. Abu Dhabi, e.g.

Answer: EMIRATE

Explanation: Abu Dhabi is one of the Emirates in the UAE.

61A. Expanse crossed by Odysseus

Answer: IONIAN SEA

Explanation: In Greek stories, Odysseus crossed the Ionian Sea.

65A. Like van Gogh and Vermeer

Answer: DUTCH

Explanation: Both artists were from the Netherlands (Dutch).

70A. Blades for some Olympians

Answer: EPEES

Explanation: An épée is a type of fencing sword used in the Olympics.

Down Clues

1D. Super Mario Bros. console

Answer: NES

Explanation: NES is a Nintendo gaming system.

2D. Jazzy James

Answer: ETTA

Explanation: Etta James was a famous singer.

3D. Guitar accessory that may create vibrato

Answer: WHAMMY BAR

Explanation: A whammy bar is used on guitars to change sound.

4D. Knights’ neighbors

Answer: BISHOPS

Explanation: In chess, bishops sit next to knights.

5D. Blueprint

Answer: SCHEMA

Explanation: A schema is a plan or design.

9D. Prehistoric supercontinent

Answer: PANGAEA

Explanation: Pangaea was one giant land before continents split.

11D. Moriarty, to Holmes

Answer: ENEMY

Explanation: Moriarty is the enemy of Sherlock Holmes.

18D. Latvian capital

Answer: RIGA

Explanation: Riga is the capital city of Latvia.

36D. Hormel product

Answer: SPAM

Explanation: Spam is a canned meat product.

43D. Elements of a strategy

Answer: TACTICS

Explanation: Tactics are small actions used in a plan.

51D. Easy part of a sky in a jigsaw puzzle

Answer: CLOUD

Explanation: Puzzle sky areas are often blue with clouds.

54D. Oscar winner Witherspoon

Answer: REESE

Explanation: Reese Witherspoon is an actress.

60D. Brontë orphan

Answer: EYRE

Explanation: Jane Eyre is a famous novel character.

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 08, 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
• Across Clues Table (34 clues)
• Across Clues - Detailed Hints
• Down Clues Table (36 clues)
• Down Clues - Detailed Hints
• Expert Solving Strategies
• Today's Puzzle Statistics

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging

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. Criticizes, in modern lingo	7
2A	8. Unruffled	6
3A	14. "Not to worry ..."	8
4A	16. Chichi	6
5A	17. One away from one's duties?	8
6A	18. French exit	6
7A	19. Hollywood is on it: Abbr.	3
8A	20. Secures, in a way	5
9A	22. Flubs	5
10A	23. Create a crispy crust for, say	7
11A	25. Coolers, for short	3
12A	26. "Jeez!"	5
13A	29. Touchy topic	8
14A	31. One of two in Raphael's "Sistine Madonna"	6
15A	33. Cartoonist who popularized the Democratic donkey	4
16A	34. "Bad hair day" hair	3
17A	36. Address no longer than 18 minutes	7
18A	38. Prepares for company, maybe	7
19A	40. Networking assets	3
20A	41. Second City district, with "the"	4
21A	43. Plumbing and welding, e.g.	6
22A	44. Really nasty fall?	8
23A	47. Date unlikely to be on a calendar	5
24A	48. Mammoth's home, for short	3
25A	49. Where to go for a run	7
26A	51. Peabody-winning journalist Steve	5
27A	53. Many a Chilango	5
28A	54. Formula 1 fig.	3
29A	57. "I'm this-a way!"	6
30A	59. Great depression?	8
31A	61. "Would you look at the time?!"	6
32A	62. Scrumdiddlyumptious	8
33A	63. Like some interests and stocks	6
34A	64. Feeds the kitty, say	7

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Criticizes, in modern lingo"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HATESON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "8. Unruffled"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ATEASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "14. "Not to worry ...""

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: THERENOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "16. Chichi"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that imposingly fashionable and elegant
• Similar words include: swank
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SWANKY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. One away from one's duties?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TAXEXILE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. French exit"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position
• Similar words include: sally
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SORTIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. Hollywood is on it: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that standard time in the 8th time zone west of greenwich, reckoned at the 120th meridian west; used in far western states of the united states
• Similar words include: Pacific Time, Pacific Standard Time
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Secures, in a way"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that one of the muslim people of north africa; of mixed arab and berber descent; converted to islam in the 8th century; conqueror of spain in the 8th century
• Similar words include: moor, moorland, wharf
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MOORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Flubs"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a socially awkward or tactless act
• Similar words include: slipperiness, skid, chemise
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SLIPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Create a crispy crust for, say"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PANSEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "25. Coolers, for short"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a radioactive element of the actinide series; found in uranium ores
• Similar words include: alternating current, atomic number 89, actinium
• Opposite of: direct current

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. "Jeez!""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AWMAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "29. Touchy topic"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SORESPOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. One of two in Raphael's "Sistine Madonna""

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a sweet innocent baby
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CHERUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Cartoonist who popularized the Democratic donkey"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that united states political cartoonist (1840-1902)
• Similar words include: Thomas Nast
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. "Bad hair day" hair"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors
• Similar words include: wipe up, mow, swob
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Address no longer than 18 minutes"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TEDTALK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. Prepares for company, maybe"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that put (things or places) in order
• Similar words include: tidy up, neaten, groom
• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NEATENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. Networking assets"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an agency in the department of justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the united states
• Similar words include: Indiana, atomic number 49, IN
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: INS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Second City district, with "the""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that fastener consisting of a metal ring for lining a small hole to permit the attachment of cords or lines
• Similar words include: grummet, loop topology, intertwine
• Opposite of: open circuit, uncoil

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: LOOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Plumbing and welding, e.g."

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
• Similar words include: trade in, sell, craft
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TRADES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. Really nasty fall?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ICESTORM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "47. Date unlikely to be on a calendar"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a date; usually with a member of the opposite sex
• Similar words include: assignation, rendezvous
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TRYST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Mammoth's home, for short"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NHL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. Where to go for a run"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SKIAREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Peabody-winning journalist Steve"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KROFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "53. Many a Chilango"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

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!

28A: "54. Formula 1 fig."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the ratio of the distance traveled (in kilometers) to the time spent traveling (in hours)
• Similar words include: kilometres per hour, kilometers per hour, km/h
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KPH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "57. "I'm this-a way!""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: YOOHOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "59. Great depression?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof
• Similar words include: sink, swallow hole
• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SINKHOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "61. "Would you look at the time?!""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: IMLATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. Scrumdiddlyumptious"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TODIEFOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Like some interests and stocks"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that provide with power and authority
• Similar words include: vest, invest, robe
• Opposite of: divest

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: VESTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. Feeds the kitty, say"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: CATSITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No.	Clue	Letters
1D	1. It's usually followed by an "s"	4
2D	2. Indicators of awareness	4
3D	3. Ding thing?	4
4D	4. Bygone "before"	3
5D	5. Books that go into intimate detail?	10
6D	6. It might bring you to tears	5
7D	7. "Good riddance"	6
8D	8. Jerk	3
9D	9. All slam dunks	4
10D	10. Accessory turned down on a cap	6
11D	11. Humor without a traditional punch line	10
12D	12. Create ripple effects, in a way	10
13D	13. Scallops can have hundreds of tiny blue ones	4
14D	15. "It's a date!"	6
15D	21. It's a wrap!	5
16D	23. Hairstylist's concern	4
17D	24. Go back to the beginning	5
18D	26. Whence the line "Beware the ides of March" in "Julius Caesar"	4
19D	27. Comment from one who's going along	10
20D	28. Where to see fresh coats of white?	10
21D	30. First gear?	10
22D	32. Rorschach patterns	5
23D	35. "I'm this-a way!"	4
24D	37. Goofballs	5
25D	39. ___ Theatre, Atlanta art house named for a fictional estate	4
26D	42. White-collar figure	6
27D	45. Pointy-topped red-and-green headwear	6
28D	46. Tuber that's the source of tapioca	6
29D	50. ___ Rousey, first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo	5
30D	51. National capital that's home to Mykhailivska Square	4
31D	52. Schlep	4
32D	54. ___ Annan, former U.N. secretary general	4
33D	55. Something that's hatched	4
34D	56. Half of some matching sets	4
35D	58. Work that traces the evolution of lang. over 1,000 years	3
36D	60. "And ___ long gone when ___ next to me" (Taylor Swift lyric)	3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. It's usually followed by an "s""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a protocol (utilizing tcp) to transfer hypertext requests and information between servers and browsers
• Similar words include: hypertext transfer protocol
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HTTP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Indicators of awareness"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: AHAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Ding thing?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the words of something written
• Similar words include: text edition, textual matter, textbook
• Opposite of: trade edition

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TEXT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Bygone "before""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ERE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Books that go into intimate detail?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SEXMANUALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. It might bring you to tears"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the bulb of an onion plant
• Similar words include: Allium cepa, onion plant
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ONION

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "Good riddance""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: NOLOSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Jerk"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
• Similar words include: fucking, piece of tail, Eastern Samoa
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. All slam dunks"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
• Similar words include: deuce, two, 2
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TWOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Accessory turned down on a cap"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that one of two flaps attached to a cap to keep the ears warm
• Similar words include: earflap
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EARLAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Humor without a traditional punch line"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ANTICOMEDY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Create ripple effects, in a way"

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SKIPSTONES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Scallops can have hundreds of tiny blue ones"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that opinion or judgment
• Similar words include: center, middle, optic
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: EYES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. "It's a date!""

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: WEREON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. It's a wrap!"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that any of various thermoplastic resins used to make things
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SARAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Hairstylist's concern"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that something determined in relation to something that includes it
• Similar words include: parting, percentage, take off
• Opposite of: wholly

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PART

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Go back to the beginning"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that device for resetting instruments or controls
• Similar words include: readjust
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RESET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Whence the line "Beware the ides of March" in "Julius Caesar""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACTI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Comment from one who's going along"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: WHENINROME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. Where to see fresh coats of white?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MEDSCHOOLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. First gear?"

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: __________

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: STARTERKIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Rorschach patterns"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a blemish made by dirt
• Similar words include: stain, smirch, slur
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: BLOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. "I'm this-a way!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PSST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Goofballs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group
• Similar words include: queer bird, odd fellow, odd man out
• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KOOKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "39. ___ Theatre, Atlanta art house named for a fictional estate"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a village in eastern ireland (northwest of dublin); seat of irish kings until 6th century
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TARA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "42. White-collar figure"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a clergyman in christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the holy orders
• Similar words include: non-Christian priest
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PRIEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "45. Pointy-topped red-and-green headwear"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ELFHAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "46. Tuber that's the source of tapioca"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics
• Similar words include: gari, tapioca plant, bitter cassava
• Pattern: ______

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: MANIOC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "50. ___ Rousey, first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: _____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: RONDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "51. National capital that's home to Mykhailivska Square"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KYIV

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "52. Schlep"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a capacious bag or basket
• Similar words include: tote bag, tug, holdall
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: TOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "54. ___ Annan, former U.N. secretary general"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: KOFI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "55. Something that's hatched"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
• Similar words include: game, diagram, plot of land
• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: PLOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "56. Half of some matching sets"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "58. Work that traces the evolution of lang. over 1,000 years"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that an unabridged dictionary constructed on historical principles
• Similar words include: O.E.D., Oxford English Dictionary
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: OED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "60. "And ___ long gone when ___ next to me" (Taylor Swift lyric)"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

• Think of something that a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in texas and kansas)
• Similar words include: helium, he, atomic number 2
• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

34 Across Clues

36 Down Clues

70 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: May 08, 2026 at 05:39 AM

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
• Across Clues Table (35 clues)
• Across Clues - Detailed Hints
• Down Clues Table (43 clues)
• Down Clues - Detailed Hints
• Expert Solving Strategies
• Today's Puzzle Statistics

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

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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

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38D: "55. Smoothie "superfood""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: ACAI

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39D: "56. Scottish terrier breed"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ____

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: SKYE

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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

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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

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

• Pattern: ___

Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)

Answer: HBO

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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

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Last updated: May 04, 2026 at 06:26 AM