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Friday, August 14, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 14, 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: Moderate

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. ___ Plateau, home to the tomb of King Khufu 4
2A 5. Discovers 9
3A 14. "There's my cue" 4
4A 15. "Dios mío!" 9
5A 16. Superbright 4
6A 17. Couple's last coupling, perhaps 10
7A 18. Mounted warrior skilled in martial arts 7
8A 20. Retired pro wrestler Flair 3
9A 21. Sibling's cry of protest, maybe 6
10A 22. Guard for some time? 8
11A 27. Unit whose name derives from the Latin word for "heat" 7
12A 29. Completely lose it 6
13A 30. Bunk alternatives 4
14A 31. Leave a lasting mark on 4
15A 33. Because 5
16A 34. Self-doubter's question 3
17A 35. Huddling, as teammates 7
18A 37. Mom-and-pop group 3
19A 38. Rock musician Bob 5
20A 40. "Enough out of you!" 4
21A 41. Costco competitor, informally 4
22A 42. England's George V vis-à-vis Russia's Nicholas II 6
23A 44. Good places for a deep dive into research? 7
24A 46. Recollection, say 8
25A 48. Primates found only in and around Madagascar 6
26A 50. Slip 3
27A 51. Explode, as a paintball 7
28A 52. Enthusiastic cry when one's favorite song comes on the radio 10
29A 57. Idle 4
30A 58. Excessively greedy 9
31A 59. Berkshire town 4
32A 60. Of an indefinitely large number 9
33A 61. Spanish muralist José María ___ 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. ___ Plateau, home to the tomb of King Khufu"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ancient egyptian city on the west bank of the nile opposite cairo; site of three great pyramids and the sphinx
  • Similar words include: El Giza, Gizeh
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GIZA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Discovers"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "14. "There's my cue""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. "Dios mío!""

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. Superbright"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
  • Similar words include: atomic number 10, Ne
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Couple's last coupling, perhaps"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. Mounted warrior skilled in martial arts"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal military aristocracy
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAMURAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Retired pro wrestler Flair"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Sibling's cry of protest, maybe"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not fair; marked by injustice or partiality or deception
  • Similar words include: unjust
  • Opposite of: fair
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNFAIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Guard for some time?"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "27. Unit whose name derives from the Latin word for "heat""

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure; used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food
  • Similar words include: small calorie, large calorie, nutritionist's calorie
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CALORIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "29. Completely lose it"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "30. Bunk alternatives"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sheath worn to protect a finger
  • Similar words include: fingerstall, crib, camp bed
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Leave a lasting mark on"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make an etching of
  • Similar words include: engrave
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Because"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Self-doubter's question"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. Huddling, as teammates"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that surround completely
  • Similar words include: introduce, put in, shut in
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCLOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. Mom-and-pop group"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Rock musician Bob"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. "Enough out of you!""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. Costco competitor, informally"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
  • Similar words include: SAM, surface-to-air missile
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. England's George V vis-à-vis Russia's Nicholas II"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the child of your aunt or uncle
  • Similar words include: cousin-german, first cousin, full cousin
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COUSIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Good places for a deep dive into research?"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Recollection, say"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANECDOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "48. Primates found only in and around Madagascar"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large-eyed arboreal prosimian having foxy faces and long furry tails
  • Similar words include: lemur
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEMURS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "50. Slip"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "51. Explode, as a paintball"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Enthusiastic cry when one's favorite song comes on the radio"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "57. Idle"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be idle; exist in a changeless situation
  • Similar words include: stagnate, idle, slug
  • Opposite of: work
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "58. Excessively greedy"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
  • Similar words include: predatory, ravening, vulturine
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAPACIOUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "59. Berkshire town"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Of an indefinitely large number"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that last in an indefinitely numerous series
  • Similar words include: umptieth, umteenth
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UMPTEENTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "61. Spanish muralist José María ___"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Kitchen brand inspired by 18-Across 5
2D 2. "Seriously?!" 11
3D 3. Issue in a modern remote work setting 11
4D 4. Corn and wheat, for two 7
5D 5. Garment worn with a bodice called a choli 4
6D 6. 365th out of 365, in brief 3
7D 7. Words of comfort 5
8D 8. Not being real about 6
9D 9. Honey is high in this 8
10D 10. Deplete 3
11D 11. Yogis' utterances 3
12D 12. Purple drink ingredient at a boba tea shop 3
13D 13. "... plus ___" 3
14D 17. Unfruitful 6
15D 19. Animated 2011 film set in Brazil 3
16D 22. Person that's best left alone 7
17D 23. Wong of Netflix's "Beef" 3
18D 24. Shoot the breeze 11
19D 25. Philosophy of "Keep things simple," in a sense 11
20D 26. "How do ___ grow? They grow out of your life": Robert Penn Warren 5
21D 28. Scratch that! 4
22D 30. "Julius Caesar" role 5
23D 32. Plot device? 4
24D 35. Shimmer colorfully 8
25D 36. Hello or goodbye, abroad 6
26D 39. Computer key that might be pressed repeatedly in a panic 3
27D 41. Tastes 7
28D 43. Average Joe, in modern slang 6
29D 45. ___ Bleus, nickname for France's World Cup team 3
30D 47. Check for fit 5
31D 49. What might go straight to the heart? 5
32D 51. Deep cut 4
33D 52. Monodrama that debuted in 1989 3
34D 53. Country ___ 3
35D 54. Unwanted place for bugs 3
36D 55. Parlor offering, for short 3
37D 56. Project 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Kitchen brand inspired by 18-Across"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. "Seriously?!""

11 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Issue in a modern remote work setting"

11 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Corn and wheat, for two"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (botany) a plant that completes its entire life cycle within the space of a year
  • Similar words include: yearly, annual, yearbook
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANNUALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Garment worn with a bodice called a choli"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dress worn primarily by hindu women; consists of several yards of light material that is draped around the body
  • Similar words include: saree
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. 365th out of 365, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Words of comfort"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Not being real about"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make a copy of with the intent to deceive
  • Similar words include: wangle, forge, talk through one's hat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAKING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Honey is high in this"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a simple sugar found in honey and in many ripe fruits
  • Similar words include: levulose, fruit sugar, laevulose
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRUCTOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Deplete"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Yogis' utterances"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Purple drink ingredient at a boba tea shop"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. "... plus ___""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government
  • Similar words include: assess, task, revenue enhancement
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "17. Unfruitful"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation
  • Similar words include: waste, destitute, desolate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BARREN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Animated 2011 film set in Brazil"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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!

16D: "22. Person that's best left alone"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one who lives in solitude
  • Similar words include: troglodyte, withdrawn, reclusive
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RECLUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "23. Wong of Netflix's "Beef""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
  • Similar words include: Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay, Cassius Marcellus Clay
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "24. Shoot the breeze"

11 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that unconsciously replace fact with fantasy in one's memory
  • Similar words include: natter, chatter, consult
  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CONFABULATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "25. Philosophy of "Keep things simple," in a sense"

11 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "26. "How do ___ grow? They grow out of your life": Robert Penn Warren"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines
  • Similar words include: poem, verse form
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POEMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "28. Scratch that!"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite; characterized by persistent itching and skin irritation
  • Similar words include: itchiness, scratch, urge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. "Julius Caesar" role"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. Plot device?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that socks and stockings and tights collectively (the british include underwear)
  • Similar words include: hose down, hosiery, hosepipe
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Shimmer colorfully"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be iridescent
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRIDESCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "36. Hello or goodbye, abroad"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Computer key that might be pressed repeatedly in a panic"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Tastes"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small part of something intended as representative of the whole
  • Similar words include: taste, sample, try
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAMPLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Average Joe, in modern slang"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. ___ Bleus, nickname for France's World Cup team"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
  • Similar words include: LE, lupus erythematosus
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Check for fit"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. What might go straight to the heart?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slender tube inserted inside a tubular body part (as a blood vessel) to provide support during and after surgical anastomosis
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "51. Deep cut"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wound made by cutting
  • Similar words include: slice, slash, cut
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GASH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Monodrama that debuted in 1989"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Country ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
  • Similar words include: overact, ham actor, gammon
  • Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Unwanted place for bugs"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. Parlor offering, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar
  • Similar words include: intertwine, Thematic Apperception Test, cheapness
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Project"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings
  • Similar words include: project, bulge, prominence
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JUT

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

33 Across Clues
37 Down Clues
70 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

Looking for more puzzle solutions? Check out our comprehensive archive of NYT crossword hints and answers. We update daily with expert analysis and solving strategies.

Disclaimer: Crossword clues and grid © The New York Times. This site provides hints and educational content for puzzle enthusiasts. XWordHint is not affiliated with The New York Times.

Last updated: August 14, 2026 at 05:11 AM

Sunday, August 2, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 02, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Medium

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Pen name 3
2A 4. Garment whose name is a homophone for a board game 4
3A 8. Keywords accompanying a YouTube video, say 4
4A 12. Bellyaches 5
5A 17. Listing of what's on tap 4
6A 18. Story 4
7A 19. It's right around the present 4
8A 20. Phone notifications 6
9A 22. "For our ad, how should we list the car that we found in the ditch?" 14
10A 25. Massachusetts city named for a colonial patriot 6
11A 26. Like phone numbers in infomercials 8
12A 27. Team players 8
13A 29. Boggy place 3
14A 30. Rightmost word on the front of a penny 5
15A 31. Their horns don't honk 4
16A 33. Kerfuffles 4
17A 34. Moccasin decoration 4
18A 35. "Physics is like ___: Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it" (quote attributed to Richard Feynman) 3
19A 36. Ankle part 6
20A 39. "... and how do we add that it was just struck by lightning?" 9
21A 41. "You will be ___" 6
22A 42. What's to be with Québec? 4
23A 43. Focus of many a small private college 4
24A 44. "... and that the tailpipe is dragging on the ground?" 12
25A 49. 19th-century school item 5
26A 51. Emulates Cicero 6
27A 52. Food or water 4
28A 54. Cover with a black rectangle, say 6
29A 58. Useful pointers? 5
30A 59. Rascal 5
31A 62. Tech models since 1998 5
32A 65. Country with the all-time greatest number of medals at the Winter Olympics: Abbr. 3
33A 66. Quickbeam and Leaflock, in fantasy 4
34A 67. "... and what about the leaky roof?" 11
35A 69. Point of intersection 4
36A 70. "Here ___!" 3
37A 71. Mideast language 5
38A 72. Surprising result 5
39A 73. Pretend 5
40A 74. Achilles, e.g. 6
41A 76. Family nickname comparable to the Yiddish "bubbe" 4
42A 78. Smooth, now 6
43A 79. Gains prominence 5
44A 82. "... and the broken door locks?" 12
45A 86. "___ just in ..." 4
46A 88. Big name in plastic 4
47A 90. Rudimentary seeds 6
48A 91. "... and the defective speaker system?" 9
49A 93. Rudimentary 6
50A 94. Calling card, for short? 3
51A 97. Safari destinations? 4
52A 98. Drink in a red, white and blue cup 4
53A 99. Donahue on TV Guide's list of "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time" 4
54A 100. Yemeni neighbor 5
55A 102. Old gridiron org. for the Boston Patriots 3
56A 103. End of "Our Town" or "A Doll's House" 8
57A 105. Spectacular flops 8
58A 108. Upholsterer's sample 6
59A 110. "... and finally, the missing front tires?" 14
60A 112. Capital of Zimbabwe 6
61A 113. Pupil's surroundings 4
62A 114. Like toms and drakes 4
63A 115. State as fact 4
64A 116. U-Haul alternative 5
65A 117. Legend who occasionally used his head to achieve greatness 4
66A 118. SoCal sch. 4
67A 119. Pink part of a Mr. Potato Head set 3

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Pen name"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "4. Garment whose name is a homophone for a board game"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dress worn primarily by hindu women; consists of several yards of light material that is draped around the body
  • Similar words include: saree
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "8. Keywords accompanying a YouTube video, say"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a label written or printed on paper, cardboard, or plastic that is attached to something to indicate its owner, nature, price, etc.
  • Similar words include: tail, give chase, tag end
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "12. Bellyaches"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the lean flesh of a fish that is often farmed; can be baked or braised
  • Similar words include: chicane, cavil, carp
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. Listing of what's on tap"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a list of dishes available at a restaurant
  • Similar words include: bill of fare, carte du jour, computer menu
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. Story"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a relative position or degree of value in a graded group
  • Similar words include: tier up, grade, level
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. It's right around the present"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
  • Similar words include: roll, twine, enfold
  • Opposite of: unwind, unwrap
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WRAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Phone notifications"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that condition of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action
  • Similar words include: warning signal, alerting, alarum
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALERTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. "For our ad, how should we list the car that we found in the ditch?""

14 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "25. Massachusetts city named for a colonial patriot"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that american silversmith remembered for his midnight ride (celebrated in a poem by longfellow) to warn the colonists in lexington and concord that british troops were coming (1735-1818)
  • Similar words include: venerate, idolize, revers
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REVERE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "26. Like phone numbers in infomercials"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "27. Team players"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person trained to compete in sports
  • Similar words include: athlete, jock
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATHLETES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "29. Boggy place"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 100 fen equal 1 yuan in china
  • Similar words include: fenland, marsh, marshland
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Rightmost word on the front of a penny"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
  • Similar words include: corporate trust, confide, reliance
  • Opposite of: mistrust, distrust
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRUST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Their horns don't honk"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on; an integrated circuit memory chip allows information to be stored or accessed in any order and all storage locations are equally accessible
  • Similar words include: chock up, jam, RAM
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. Kerfuffles"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rapid active commotion
  • Similar words include: hustle, flurry, bustle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Moccasin decoration"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small ball with a hole through the middle
  • Similar words include: beadwork, drop, astragal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. "Physics is like ___: Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it" (quote attributed to Richard Feynman)"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that activities associated with sexual intercourse
  • Similar words include: sexual urge, gender, turn on
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "36. Ankle part"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the foot of a vertebrate between the metatarsus and the leg; in human beings the bones of the ankle and heel collectively
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARSUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. "... and how do we add that it was just struck by lightning?""

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. "You will be ___""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
  • Similar words include: drop, neglect, lack
  • Opposite of: hit, have
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISSED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. What's to be with Québec?"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "43. Focus of many a small private college"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)
  • Similar words include: nontextual matter, artistry, artistic creation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. "... and that the tailpipe is dragging on the ground?""

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. 19th-century school item"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (formerly) a writing tablet made of slate
  • Similar words include: slating, ticket
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Emulates Cicero"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that talk pompously
  • Similar words include: orate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORATES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "52. Food or water"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condition requiring relief
  • Similar words include: ask, indigence, want
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "54. Cover with a black rectangle, say"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who puts text into appropriate form for publication
  • Similar words include: redactor, frame, rewriter
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDACT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "58. Useful pointers?"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
  • Similar words include: weather vane, weathervane, web
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VANES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "59. Rascal"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one who is playfully mischievous
  • Similar words include: monkey, scallywag, imp
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "62. Tech models since 1998"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "65. Country with the all-time greatest number of medals at the Winter Olympics: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "66. Quickbeam and Leaflock, in fantasy"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "67. "... and what about the leaky roof?""

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "69. Point of intersection"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a connecting point at which several lines come together
  • Similar words include: client, leaf node, knob
  • Opposite of: antinode
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "70. "Here ___!""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "71. Mideast language"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person of iranian descent
  • Similar words include: Persian
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FARSI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "72. Surprising result"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an unhappy and worried mental state
  • Similar words include: disconcert, discomfit, disturbance
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UPSET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "73. Pretend"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make believe with the intent to deceive
  • Similar words include: assume, dissemble, affect
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEIGN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "74. Achilles, e.g."

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cord or band of inelastic tissue connecting a muscle with its bony attachment
  • Similar words include: sinew
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TENDON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "76. Family nickname comparable to the Yiddish "bubbe""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42A: "78. Smooth, now"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that press and smooth with a heated iron
  • Similar words include: press, iron, iron out
  • Opposite of: unironed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRONED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43A: "79. Gains prominence"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a growth in strength or number or importance
  • Similar words include: wax, stand up, lift
  • Opposite of: go to bed, descent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RISES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44A: "82. "... and the broken door locks?""

12 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45A: "86. "___ just in ...""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46A: "88. Big name in plastic"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

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!

47A: "90. Rudimentary seeds"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small body that contains the female germ cell of a plant; develops into a seed after fertilization
  • Similar words include: ovule
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVULES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48A: "91. "... and the defective speaker system?""

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49A: "93. Rudimentary"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that serving as an essential component
  • Similar words include: primordial, central, cardinal
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRIMAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50A: "94. Calling card, for short?"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51A: "97. Safari destinations?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52A: "98. Drink in a red, white and blue cup"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53A: "99. Donahue on TV Guide's list of "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54A: "100. Yemeni neighbor"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of oman
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMANI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55A: "102. Old gridiron org. for the Boston Patriots"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a federation of north american labor unions that merged with the congress of industrial organizations in 1955
  • Similar words include: American Federation of Labor
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56A: "103. End of "Our Town" or "A Doll's House""

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57A: "105. Spectacular flops"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sudden and violent collapse
  • Similar words include: thrashing, slaughter, fiasco
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEBACLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58A: "108. Upholsterer's sample"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sample piece of cloth
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWATCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59A: "110. "... and finally, the missing front tires?""

14 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60A: "112. Capital of Zimbabwe"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of zimbabwe
  • Similar words include: capital of Zimbabwe, Salisbury
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61A: "113. Pupil's surroundings"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

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: flag, sword lily, fleur-de-lis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62A: "114. Like toms and drakes"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63A: "115. State as fact"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64A: "116. U-Haul alternative"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65A: "117. Legend who occasionally used his head to achieve greatness"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66A: "118. SoCal sch."

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

67A: "119. Pink part of a Mr. Potato Head set"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
  • Similar words include: spike, capitulum, pinna
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Caption below the first of two photos 6
2D 2. Opposite of exodus 6
3D 3. Dumbbell exercises 5
4D 4. Giant or dwarf 4
5D 5. ___-de-camp 4
6D 6. Backs out, say 8
7D 7. Indignation 3
8D 8. Ninnies 5
9D 9. What someone flat-footed lacks 4
10D 10. Like an honorable knight 7
11D 11. They might be on one's radar 8
12D 12. Pet 6
13D 13. Porters, for example 4
14D 14. Race prior to a race? 3
15D 15. Fifth-year student leader at Hogwarts 7
16D 16. Barely runs? 7
17D 17. Fruit snack brand 5
18D 21. Excites 5
19D 23. Again and again, in verse 8
20D 24. Over-the-top performers 4
21D 28. Item on a rack 5
22D 32. Mercedes alternative 4
23D 34. Idly doodling, maybe 5
24D 37. How the car in this puzzle's theme would be sold 4
25D 38. Blog feed letters 3
26D 40. Disrelishes and then some 5
27D 41. Hands (out) 5
28D 42. Linguistic suffix 3
29D 44. "Fabulous!" 6
30D 45. It has a rind but supposedly no rhyme 6
31D 46. Deliberately malicious 6
32D 47. Opposite of "You'll pay for that!"? 4
33D 48. God who aids the Trojan fleet in the first book of the "Aeneid" 7
34D 50. Long stories have them 4
35D 53. Runs out of gas 4
36D 55. Divinely elect 6
37D 56. Old yeller? 6
38D 57. Faddish 6
39D 59. California's Big ___ 3
40D 60. Keeps in the loop, electronically 3
41D 61. Similar (to) 4
42D 63. Pioneering astronaut Jemison 3
43D 64. "The Good Wife" figure: Abbr. 3
44D 67. Declares off limits 4
45D 68. Fix a litter problem? 4
46D 69. Show signs 5
47D 71. Palm off (on) 5
48D 73. Mooch 8
49D 75. Hangs on a clothesline 5
50D 77. Isis Naija Gaston, ___ Ice Spice 3
51D 78. Madonna's "La ___ Bonita" 4
52D 80. Kick out 5
53D 81. Planned detour 8
54D 83. "Shark Tank" shark Greiner 4
55D 84. Horror franchise that includes 1992's "Army of Darkness" 8
56D 85. It all adds up to this 3
57D 86. "West Side Story" conflict 7
58D 87. Edmund who wrote "View From the Summit" 7
59D 89. "Now, wait just one minute!" 7
60D 91. Suppress 5
61D 92. Like cheesecake vis-à-vis sponge cake 6
62D 93. "That was a close one!" 4
63D 94. What wets the appetite? 6
64D 95. "The idea!" 6
65D 96. Penny pincher 5
66D 99. Intrinsically 5
67D 101. Jazz singer Carmen 5
68D 103. Part of a plot, at times 4
69D 104. The third one is dangerous 4
70D 106. Once-common fish in the Thames 4
71D 107. Veal cordon ___ 4
72D 109. Smidgen 3
73D 111. Inits. at sea 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Caption below the first of two photos"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that earlier in time; previously
  • Similar words include: earlier, in front, ahead
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEFORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Opposite of exodus"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the process of flowing in
  • Similar words include: inflow
  • Opposite of: outflow, efflux
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INFLUX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Dumbbell exercises"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
  • Similar words include: roll, coil, ringlet
  • Opposite of: uncoil
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CURLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Giant or dwarf"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
  • Similar words include: starring, prima, superstar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. ___-de-camp"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer
  • Similar words include: auxiliary, aide-de-camp, adjutant
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Backs out, say"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a relation of direct opposition
  • Similar words include: lift, invert, vacate
  • Opposite of: obverse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REVERSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Indignation"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
  • Similar words include: wrath, ira, anger
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Ninnies"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who is regarded as contemptible
  • Similar words include: tease, tantalise, twerp
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. What someone flat-footed lacks"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
  • Similar words include: impish, implike, mischievous
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCH

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10D: "10. Like an honorable knight"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance
  • Similar words include: dashing, fop, beau
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GALLANT

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11D: "11. They might be on one's radar"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a driver who exceeds the safe speed limit
  • Similar words include: speeder, speed demon
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPEEDERS

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12D: "12. Pet"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it)
  • Similar words include: fondle
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARESS

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13D: "13. Porters, for example"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the united states an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
  • Similar words include: ale
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALES

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14D: "14. Race prior to a race?"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that rate of revolution of a motor
  • Similar words include: revolutions per minute, rpm, rev up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REV

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15D: "15. Fifth-year student leader at Hogwarts"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chief officer or chief magistrate
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PREFECT

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16D: "16. Barely runs?"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an unbroken series of events
  • Similar words include: blotch, streak, stripe
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STREAKS

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17D: "17. Fruit snack brand"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states feminist and suffragist (1793-1880)
  • Similar words include: Lucretia Coffin Mott, Mott
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOTTS

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18D: "21. Excites"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to go somewhere
  • Similar words include: send, place, beam
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "23. Again and again, in verse"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that many times at short intervals
  • Similar words include: frequently, often, oft
  • Opposite of: rarely, infrequently
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OFTTIMES

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20D: "24. Over-the-top performers"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
  • Similar words include: jambon, Ham, overact
  • Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAMS

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21D: "28. Item on a rack"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOWEL

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22D: "32. Mercedes alternative"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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23D: "34. Idly doodling, maybe"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to be bored
  • Similar words include: world-weary, bore, blase
  • Opposite of: interest
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BORED

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24D: "37. How the car in this puzzle's theme would be sold"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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25D: "38. Blog feed letters"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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26D: "40. Disrelishes and then some"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
  • Similar words include: hat, hatred, hate
  • Opposite of: love
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HATES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Hands (out)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a line that indicates a boundary
  • Similar words include: boundary line, borderline, border
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: METES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Linguistic suffix"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the compass point midway between east and southeast
  • Similar words include: east southeast
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. "Fabulous!""

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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30D: "45. It has a rind but supposedly no rhyme"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
  • Similar words include: orangish, orange tree, Orange River
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORANGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "46. Deliberately malicious"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lewd or lascivious woman
  • Similar words include: easy, unprovoked, sluttish
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WANTON

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32D: "47. Opposite of "You'll pay for that!"?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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33D: "48. God who aids the Trojan fleet in the first book of the "Aeneid""

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (roman mythology) god of the sea; counterpart of greek poseidon
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEPTUNE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "50. Long stories have them"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
  • Similar words include: electric arc, arch, electric discharge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. Runs out of gas"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small cube with 1 to 6 spots on the six faces; used in gambling to generate random numbers
  • Similar words include: atomic number 66, dysprosium, pall
  • Opposite of: be born
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. Divinely elect"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that choose by or as if by divine intervention
  • Similar words include: oil, inunct, anele
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANOINT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Old yeller?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that used affectionately to refer to an eccentric but amusing old man
  • Similar words include: old codger
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CODGER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "57. Faddish"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in accord with the latest fad
  • Similar words include: voguish
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRENDY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. California's Big ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a port in southern lebanon on the mediterranean sea; formerly a major phoenician seaport famous for silks
  • Similar words include: Tyre
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. Keeps in the loop, electronically"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metric unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a liter
  • Similar words include: cubic centimeter, milliliter, ml
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CCS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "61. Similar (to)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that similar in quality or character
  • Similar words include: kindred, consanguineal, consanguineous
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AKIN

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42D: "63. Pioneering astronaut Jemison"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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43D: "64. "The Good Wife" figure: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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44D: "67. Declares off limits"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a decree that prohibits something
  • Similar words include: forbidding, prohibition, banning
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45D: "68. Fix a litter problem?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove the ovaries of
  • Similar words include: neuter, alter, castrate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAY

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46D: "69. Show signs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
  • Similar words include: atomic number 10, neon, Ne
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEONS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47D: "71. Palm off (on)"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to force onto another
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48D: "73. Mooch"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that live off somebody's generosity
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FREELOAD

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49D: "75. Hangs on a clothesline"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
  • Similar words include: dry out, dry, prohibitionist
  • Opposite of: wet
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRIES

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50D: "77. Isis Naija Gaston, ___ Ice Spice"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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51D: "78. Madonna's "La ___ Bonita""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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52D: "80. Kick out"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that expel or eject without recourse to legal process
  • Similar words include: force out
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVICT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53D: "81. Planned detour"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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54D: "83. "Shark Tank" shark Greiner"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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55D: "84. Horror franchise that includes 1992's "Army of Darkness""

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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56D: "85. It all adds up to this"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quantity of money
  • Similar words include: tot up, totality, join
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUM

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57D: "86. "West Side Story" conflict"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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58D: "87. Edmund who wrote "View From the Summit""

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that new zealand mountaineer who in 1953 first attained the summit of mount everest with his sherpa guide tenzing norgay (born in 1919)
  • Similar words include: Edmund Hillary, Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, Sir Edmund Hillary
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HILLARY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59D: "89. "Now, wait just one minute!""

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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60D: "91. Suppress"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that put down by force or intimidation
  • Similar words include: subdue, invalidate, avoid
  • Opposite of: validate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: QUASH

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61D: "92. Like cheesecake vis-à-vis sponge cake"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that possessing material wealth
  • Similar words include: racy, deep, robust
  • Opposite of: lean, poor
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RICHER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62D: "93. "That was a close one!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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63D: "94. What wets the appetite?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches
  • Similar words include: spittle, spit
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALIVA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64D: "95. "The idea!""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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65D: "96. Penny pincher"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a stingy hoarder of money and possessions (often living miserably)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66D: "99. Intrinsically"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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67D: "101. Jazz singer Carmen"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68D: "103. Part of a plot, at times"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69D: "104. The third one is dangerous"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
  • Similar words include: railing, vituperate, rail in
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

70D: "106. Once-common fish in the Thames"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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
  • Similar words include: eel
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EELS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71D: "107. Veal cordon ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cheese containing a blue mold
  • Similar words include: blue cheese
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLEU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

72D: "109. Smidgen"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slight amount or degree of difference
  • Similar words include: shade
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

73D: "111. Inits. at sea"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metric unit of length equal to 100 meters
  • Similar words include: hectometer, hectometre, hm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HMS

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

67 Across Clues
73 Down Clues
140 Total Clues

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Last updated: August 02, 2026 at 06:15 AM