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

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 06, 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. Don't believe it 3
2A 4. Soccer great Mia 4
3A 8. Prepared (for) 6
4A 14. Feature of a spy film 8
5A 16. Scalper's transaction 6
6A 17. Prairie bloom for which a creamery is named 8
7A 18. DC good guy 6
8A 19. They're found in a circle 5
9A 20. Dispensary inits. 3
10A 22. Late spring or early summer bloom 5
11A 23. Leave speechless 3
12A 24. Texter's "I can't even" 3
13A 26. In perpetuity 4
14A 28. Winter coat? 3
15A 29. Narrow margin of victory 4
16A 30. Lunchbox staple, informally 3
17A 33. All primes except 2 10
18A 37. Country nearest to the Equator without touching it 4
19A 38. Hybridized, botanically ... or like four pairs of answers in this puzzle (and the circled letters they intersect on)? 15
20A 40. "Stop right there!" 4
21A 41. "Great Scott!" 10
22A 42. Bird adapted for silent flight 3
23A 43. Charging option 4
24A 44. Deciding periods, in brief 3
25A 45. Airdrops? 4
26A 46. [I'm a good boy!] 3
27A 47. Summer cooler 3
28A 50. Movement started by Tarana Burke in 2006 5
29A 53. Dip 3
30A 55. Philosopher William of ___ 5
31A 57. Become part of a club 6
32A 59. ___ method (type of teaching) 8
33A 61. Bloom whose toxic nectar is one source of "mad honey" 6
34A 62. Flower found along a metaphorical path of ease 8
35A 63. A bad review might merit a rotten one 6
36A 64. Like some advice 4
37A 65. Manhattan liquor 3

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Don't believe it"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
  • Similar words include: prevarication, dwell, lie down
  • Opposite of: stand, arise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "4. Soccer great Mia"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "8. Prepared (for)"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
  • Similar words include: stimulate, stabilize, stabilise
  • Opposite of: sedate, de-energize
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRACED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Feature of a spy film"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
  • Similar words include: scheme, machination, fascinate
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INTRIGUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. Scalper's transaction"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the selling of something purchased
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Prairie bloom for which a creamery is named"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sometimes placed in genus scilla
  • Similar words include: prairie gentian, Campanula rotundifolia, wood hyacinth
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLUEBELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. DC good guy"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an orderly assigned to serve a british military officer
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BATMAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. They're found in a circle"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the length of a line segment between the center and circumference of a circle or sphere
  • Similar words include: wheel spoke, radius, spoke
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RADII

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Dispensary inits."

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Late spring or early summer bloom"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous plants widely cultivated for their showy single or double red or pink or white flowers
  • Similar words include: paeony
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEONY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Leave speechless"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration
  • Similar words include: fear, veneration, reverence
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AWE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Texter's "I can't even""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. In perpetuity"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that at any time
  • Similar words include: always, of all time, ever so
  • Opposite of: never
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Winter coat?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water frozen in the solid state
  • Similar words include: meth, frappe, ice-skating rink
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "29. Narrow margin of victory"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
  • Similar words include: tomentum, pilus, hairsbreadth
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "30. Lunchbox staple, informally"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "33. All primes except 2"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. Country nearest to the Equator without touching it"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in western south america; achieved independence from spain in 1821; was the heart of the inca empire from the 12th to 16th centuries
  • Similar words include: Republic of Peru
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PERU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Hybridized, botanically ... or like four pairs of answers in this puzzle (and the circled letters they intersect on)?"

15 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. "Stop right there!""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of inactivity following an interruption
  • Similar words include: stay, stanch, halting
  • Opposite of: start
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. "Great Scott!""

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. Bird adapted for silent flight"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
  • Similar words include: bird of Minerva, hooter, bird of night
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OWL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "43. Charging option"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an endorsement made in a passport that allows the bearer to enter the country issuing it
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VISA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Deciding periods, in brief"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "45. Airdrops?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thin fog with condensation near the ground
  • Similar words include: fog, obscure, mist over
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "46. [I'm a good boy!]"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "47. Summer cooler"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "50. Movement started by Tarana Burke in 2006"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. Dip"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shape that sags
  • Similar words include: sag down, flag, swag
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. Philosopher William of ___"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that english scholastic philosopher and assumed author of occam's razor (1285-1349)
  • Similar words include: Ockham, William of Occam, William of Ockham
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCCAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. Become part of a club"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that register formally as a participant or member
  • Similar words include: enter, enrol, recruit
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENROLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "59. ___ method (type of teaching)"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or relating to socrates or to his method of teaching
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOCRATIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "61. Bloom whose toxic nectar is one source of "mad honey""

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous ornamental shrubs grown for their showy flowers of various colors
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AZALEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "62. Flower found along a metaphorical path of ease"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous short-stemmed plants of the genus primula having tufted basal leaves and showy flowers clustered in umbels or heads
  • Similar words include: primula
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRIMROSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "63. A bad review might merit a rotten one"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that mildly acid red or yellow pulpy fruit eaten as a vegetable
  • Similar words include: love apple, tomato plant, Lycopersicon esculentum
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOMATO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "64. Like some advice"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom
  • Similar words include: salvia, sage-green
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "65. Manhattan liquor"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seed of the cereal grass
  • Similar words include: Secale cereale, rye whiskey, rye whisky
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RYE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. First sign of fall 5
2D 2. Family tree addition 5
3D 3. One of 12 in a Pulitzer-winning piece by composer/pianist William Bolcom 5
4D 4. Blossom in a lei 8
5D 5. Period in history 3
6D 6. Bed cover 5
7D 7. Scary Spice, by another nickname 4
8D 8. Texter's "just a sec" 3
9D 9. Harvesting machine 6
10D 10. Cousin of edelweiss 5
11D 11. Pattern based on nature, for short 4
12D 12. Stylish flair 4
13D 13. Turn down 4
14D 15. King, in Portuguese 3
15D 21. First word from a wedding officiant 6
16D 25. Home of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music 7
17D 27. Alice, in Wonderland 7
18D 28. Part of M.I.T.: Abbr. 4
19D 29. Very, slangily 5
20D 30. Politician Buttigieg 4
21D 31. Partner of born 4
22D 32. Sport with throws 4
23D 33. Siete + uno 4
24D 34. Cry in a gunfight 4
25D 35. Cutie pie 4
26D 36. Gives a lift 6
27D 37. Besties 4
28D 39. "I'll pass" 8
29D 43. Flower found at the end of a rainbow? 6
30D 45. Cold, hard cash 5
31D 46. Ancient marketplace 5
32D 47. Company man? 5
33D 48. "Link" in a botanical chain 5
34D 49. Play the host 5
35D 50. Nitty-gritty 4
36D 51. Automaker Ferrari 4
37D 52. Airport transport 4
38D 54. Some vipers 4
39D 56. Viper, e.g. 3
40D 58. Language of Vientiane 3
41D 60. Smoke 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. First sign of fall"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in libra
  • Similar words include: Libra the Scales, Libra the Balance, Balance
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIBRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Family tree addition"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. One of 12 in a Pulitzer-winning piece by composer/pianist William Bolcom"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short composition for a solo instrument; intended as an exercise or to demonstrate technical virtuosity
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETUDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Blossom in a lei"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any plant of the genus hibiscus
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIBISCUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Period in history"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that how long something has existed
  • Similar words include: mature, historic period, maturate
  • Opposite of: rejuvenate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Bed cover"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a protective covering of rotting vegetable matter spread to reduce evaporation and soil erosion
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MULCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Scary Spice, by another nickname"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Texter's "just a sec""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Harvesting machine"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who helps to gather the harvest
  • Similar words include: harvester, Grim Reaper
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REAPER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Cousin of edelweiss"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Pattern based on nature, for short"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan; intended to make the wearer of a garment made of this fabric hard to distinguish from the background
  • Similar words include: camouflage
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Stylish flair"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
  • Similar words include: dash, flair, panache
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Turn down"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. King, in Portuguese"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. First word from a wedding officiant"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in a sincere and heartfelt manner
  • Similar words include: affectionately, dear, in a heartfelt way
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEARLY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. Home of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that largest city of tennessee; located in southwestern tennessee on bluffs overlooking the mississippi river
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEMPHIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Alice, in Wonderland"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who visits
  • Similar words include: visitant
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VISITOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Part of M.I.T.: Abbr."

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in or of the present month
  • Similar words include: instant
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Very, slangily"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Politician Buttigieg"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Partner of born"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that copulate with a female, used especially of horses
  • Similar words include: engender, multiply, cover
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Sport with throws"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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!

23D: "33. Siete + uno"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Cry in a gunfight"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a gully that is shallower than a ravine
  • Similar words include: drawing card, tie, delineate
  • Opposite of: push, deposit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Cutie pie"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small replica of a person; used as a toy
  • Similar words include: chick, bird, skirt
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "36. Gives a lift"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of giving hope or support to someone
  • Similar words include: cost increase, boost, hike up
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOOSTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "37. Besties"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
  • Similar words include: pal, brother, chum
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "39. "I'll pass""

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "43. Flower found at the end of a rainbow?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
  • Similar words include: purplish, reddish blue, purple
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIOLET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "45. Cold, hard cash"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "46. Ancient marketplace"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 100 agorot equal 1 shekel in israel
  • Similar words include: public square
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "47. Company man?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a theatrical performer
  • Similar words include: doer, thespian, role player
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACTOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "48. "Link" in a botanical chain"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous composite plants having flower heads with well-developed ray flowers usually arranged in a single whorl
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAISY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "49. Play the host"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who acts as host at formal occasions (makes an introductory speech and introduces other speakers)
  • Similar words include: host, compere, master of ceremonies
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMCEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "50. Nitty-gritty"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the flesh of animals (including fishes and birds and snails) used as food
  • Similar words include: gist, center, sum
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "51. Automaker Ferrari"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "52. Airport transport"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a conveyance that transports passengers or freight in carriers suspended from cables and supported by a series of towers
  • Similar words include: trolley car, tramway, aerial tramway
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "54. Some vipers"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of southern europe; similar to but smaller than the adder
  • Similar words include: asp viper, Naja haje, Vipera aspis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "56. Viper, e.g."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
  • Similar words include: railcar, railway car, auto
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "58. Language of Vientiane"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a buddhist people inhabiting the area of the mekong river in laos and thailand and speaking the lao language; related to the thais
  • Similar words include: Laotian
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "60. Smoke"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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
41 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: May 06, 2026 at 06:17 AM

Monday, March 9, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers March 09, 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. Constellation word before Major or Minor 4
2A 5. Something to blow off or let off 5
3A 10. "So-o-o cute!" 3
4A 13. Western defense grp. 4
5A 14. "I ___ been a contender ..." 6
6A 15. Lead-in to natal or nuptial 3
7A 16. *Outdoor sport with sticks (1979, 1984) 11
8A 18. Gentle touch 3
9A 19. Letters for a mind reader 3
10A 20. Grunt from a pigpen 4
11A 21. Athlete's representative 5
12A 23. Take weapons away from 6
13A 25. *Period for Fred, Wilma and Pebbles (2016, 2023) 8
14A 28. More in-your-business 6
15A 30. Encourages to buy a more expensive model, say 7
16A 31. Ernest Hemingway's "To Have and Have ___" 3
17A 32. Monster of folk tales 4
18A 34. Goal for collectors 3
19A 35. *Temporary guest from a canine shelter (1988, 1991) 9
20A 39. Oscars airer 3
21A 42. "Pencils down!" 4
22A 43. Double-decker, e.g. 3
23A 45. Strings along 7
24A 48. Some steaks 6
25A 51. *Popular fruit dessert (2001) 8
26A 53. Rebel as a group 6
27A 55. Zimbalist Jr. of "77 Sunset Strip" 5
28A 56. Plastic Ono Band's "Happy ___ (War Is Over)" 4
29A 58. Network for "The Wire" and "Euphoria" 3
30A 59. Birthplace of the bossa nova, informally 3
31A 60. Academy Award category ... or a hint to the starts of the answers to the starred clues 11
32A 64. Vietnamese holiday with a palindromic name 3
33A 65. Baltimore baseball pro 6
34A 66. Colorful body part ... or a colorful flower 4
35A 67. "___ gratia artis" (classic MGM motto) 3
36A 68. Chicken noodle scoop 5
37A 69. Heredity unit 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Constellation word before Major or Minor"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Something to blow off or let off"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water at boiling temperature diffused in the atmosphere
  • Similar words include: steam clean, steamer
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. "So-o-o cute!""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. Western defense grp."

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an international organization created in 1949 by the north atlantic treaty for purposes of collective security
  • Similar words include: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NATO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. "I ___ been a contender ...""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "15. Lead-in to natal or nuptial"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "16. *Outdoor sport with sticks (1979, 1984)"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Gentle touch"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a gentle blow
  • Similar words include: tap, glib, rap
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Letters for a mind reader"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that apparent power to perceive things that are not present to the senses
  • Similar words include: E.S.P., clairvoyance, extrasensory perception
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Grunt from a pigpen"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the short low gruff noise of the kind made by hogs
  • Similar words include: grunt, squeal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "21. Athlete's representative"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
  • Similar words include: agentive role, federal agent, factor
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Take weapons away from"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove offensive capability from
  • Similar words include: demilitarise, demilitarize, unarm
  • Opposite of: arm
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DISARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. *Period for Fred, Wilma and Pebbles (2016, 2023)"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. More in-your-business"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that offensively curious or inquisitive
  • Similar words include: prying, nosy, snoopy
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOSIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Encourages to buy a more expensive model, say"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Ernest Hemingway's "To Have and Have ___""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that negation of a word or group of words
  • Similar words include: non
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. Monster of folk tales"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cruel wicked and inhuman person
  • Similar words include: devil, demon, fiend
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OGRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "34. Goal for collectors"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
  • Similar words include: position, correct, laid
  • Opposite of: rise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "35. *Temporary guest from a canine shelter (1988, 1991)"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Oscars airer"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the elementary stages of any subject (usually plural)
  • Similar words include: ABCs, alphabet, ABC's
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. "Pencils down!""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an instance or single occasion for some event
  • Similar words include: clip, prison term, sentence
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. Double-decker, e.g."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a vehicle carrying many passengers; used for public transport
  • Similar words include: charabanc, omnibus, motorbus
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "45. Strings along"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Some steaks"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "51. *Popular fruit dessert (2001)"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "53. Rebel as a group"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "55. Zimbalist Jr. of "77 Sunset Strip""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "56. Plastic Ono Band's "Happy ___ (War Is Over)""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a christian holiday celebrating the birth of christ; a quarter day in england, wales, and ireland
  • Similar words include: Christmas Day, Dec 25, Christmas
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: XMAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "58. Network for "The Wire" and "Euphoria""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "59. Birthplace of the bossa nova, informally"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the former capital and 2nd largest city of brazil; chief brazilian port; famous as a tourist attraction
  • Similar words include: Rio de Janeiro
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "60. Academy Award category ... or a hint to the starts of the answers to the starred clues"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "64. Vietnamese holiday with a palindromic name"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the new year in vietnam; observed for three days after the first full moon after january 20th
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "65. Baltimore baseball pro"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that mostly tropical songbird; the male is usually bright orange and black
  • Similar words include: Old World oriole, American oriole, New World oriole
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORIOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "66. Colorful body part ... or a colorful flower"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "67. "___ gratia artis" (classic MGM motto)"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless and odorless inert gas; one of the six inert gases; comprises approximately 1% of the earth's atmosphere
  • Similar words include: are, argon, Arkansas
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "68. Chicken noodle scoop"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a spoon-shaped vessel with a long handle; frequently used to transfer liquids from one container to another
  • Similar words include: laden, lade
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LADLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "69. Heredity unit"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (genetics) a segment of dna that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding dna as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity
  • Similar words include: factor, cistron
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GENE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Like expired parking meters 5
2D 2. ___ Bran 6
3D 3. Bobby, Peter or Greg, to Carol Brady 7
4D 4. Internet pioneer 3
5D 5. "Coming ___ to a theater near you" 4
6D 6. Partner of nips 5
7D 7. Relative of a reindeer 3
8D 8. Suffix with lemon or orange 3
9D 9. Ancient Central American pyramid builders 6
10D 10. They go to a higher court 7
11D 11. Round up, as cattle 7
12D 12. Receiving the most rain 7
13D 14. Grandfather clock sound 5
14D 17. Piquant triangular chip 6
15D 22. "Gosh!" 3
16D 24. Starting on 4
17D 26. Small castle tower 6
18D 27. Guest opinion column 4
19D 29. Corkscrew-shaped pasta 6
20D 33. Opal or ruby 3
21D 36. "Enough already!" 4
22D 37. Double-reed woodwind player 6
23D 38. Biceps, boastfully 4
24D 39. Canadian province north of Montana 7
25D 40. More brawny 7
26D 41. Bugs Bunny's supply 7
27D 44. "Now, you listen to me ..." 7
28D 46. Beats by ___ (headphone brand) 3
29D 47. Word with sex or status 6
30D 49. Support for a knee or a neck 5
31D 50. Enters a game at the half, say 6
32D 52. Praise enthusiastically 5
33D 54. Group assisting a sheriff 5
34D 57. Like a bull or buck 4
35D 61. Memorable period 3
36D 62. Caesar of old comedy 3
37D 63. 18-wheeler 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Like expired parking meters"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not given support
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNFED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. ___ Bran"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dried grape
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAISIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Bobby, Peter or Greg, to Carol Brady"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the son your spouse by a former marriage
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEPSON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Internet pioneer"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. "Coming ___ to a theater near you""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in the near future
  • Similar words include: shortly, presently, before long
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Partner of nips"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that eatables (especially sweets)
  • Similar words include: tuck, gather, pucker
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUCKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Relative of a reindeer"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Suffix with lemon or orange"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Ancient Central American pyramid builders"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of an american indian people of yucatan and belize and guatemala who had a culture (which reached its peak between ad 300 and 900) characterized by outstanding architecture and pottery and astronomy
  • Similar words include: Mayan language, Maya, Mayan
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAYANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. They go to a higher court"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that earnest or urgent request
  • Similar words include: appeal, prayer, entreaty
  • Opposite of: repel
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APPEALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Round up, as cattle"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an angry dispute
  • Similar words include: quarrel, haggle, brawl
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WRANGLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Receiving the most rain"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
  • Similar words include: soused, sozzled, squiffy
  • Opposite of: dry
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WETTEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. Grandfather clock sound"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
  • Similar words include: gong, bell
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHIME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "17. Piquant triangular chip"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. "Gosh!""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
  • Similar words include: g, g-force
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Starting on"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Small castle tower"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small tower extending above a building
  • Similar words include: gun turret, gun enclosure
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TURRET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Guest opinion column"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Corkscrew-shaped pasta"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "33. Opal or ruby"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that art highly prized for its beauty or perfection
  • Similar words include: treasure, gemstone, precious stone
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "36. "Enough already!""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the event of something ending
  • Similar words include: hold on, lay off, stop over
  • Opposite of: begin, continuant consonant
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "37. Double-reed woodwind player"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a musician who plays the oboe
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBOIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "38. Biceps, boastfully"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
  • Similar words include: torpedo, hit man, ordnance
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GUNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "39. Canadian province north of Montana"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of the three prairie provinces in western canada; rich in oil and natural gas and minerals
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALBERTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "40. More brawny"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that muscular and heavily built
  • Similar words include: burly, beefy, husky
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEEFIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "41. Bugs Bunny's supply"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that deep orange edible root of the cultivated carrot plant
  • Similar words include: cultivated carrot, Daucus carota sativa, carrot
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARROTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "44. "Now, you listen to me ...""

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "46. Beats by ___ (headphone brand)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Word with sex or status"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
  • Similar words include: symbolisation, symbolic representation, symbolization
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SYMBOL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. Support for a knee or a neck"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a support that steadies or strengthens something else
  • Similar words include: energize, duet, stabilize
  • Opposite of: de-energise, sedate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Enters a game at the half, say"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "52. Praise enthusiastically"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that praise, glorify, or honor
  • Similar words include: glorify, exalt, laud
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXTOL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "54. Group assisting a sheriff"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a temporary police force
  • Similar words include: posse comitatus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POSSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "57. Like a bull or buck"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)
  • Similar words include: virile, manly, manful
  • Opposite of: female
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "61. Memorable period"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "62. Caesar of old comedy"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "63. 18-wheeler"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gear (including necessary machinery) for a particular enterprise
  • Similar words include: getup, fishing gear, cheat
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIG

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
37 Down Clues
74 Total Clues

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Last updated: March 09, 2026 at 05:07 AM