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Tuesday, July 21, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 21, 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. "Chocolate" pets 4
2A 5. Genome component 3
3A 8. Breaks in winter weather 5
4A 13. ___ vera 4
5A 14. Gave a hand 5
6A 16. Greet someone informally 5
7A 17. "Easy-peasy!" 16
8A 20. Attire for an infant 6
9A 21. Awe-inspiring solar phenomenon 6
10A 22. Severity 5
11A 23. Urban environmental hazard 4
12A 24. Pen tips 4
13A 28. Clean with a rough spray 9
14A 31. Blood ___ 5
15A 32. Acorn producer 3
16A 33. The 12 angry men in "12 Angry Men," e.g. 6
17A 34. Finish flamboyantly ... like 17-, 28-, 43- and 56-Across? 14
18A 40. 2000-09, with "the" 6
19A 41. ___ and haw 3
20A 42. Jumbo 5
21A 43. Colorful taffy candy brand 9
22A 49. Laptop brand 4
23A 50. Tons 4
24A 51. Not having quite enough money 5
25A 53. "Really?" 6
26A 55. Backside 6
27A 56. 2023 double-platinum Chappell Roan record 16
28A 60. Toyota hybrid 5
29A 61. Plumbing fixture found under the sink 5
30A 62. Things assayers assay 4
31A 63. Reactions akin to "OMG!" 5
32A 64. Pigs' digs 3
33A 65. Fill up 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "Chocolate" pets"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a workplace for the conduct of scientific research
  • Similar words include: research laboratory, laboratory, science laboratory
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LABS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Genome component"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information
  • Similar words include: desoxyribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "8. Breaks in winter weather"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
  • Similar words include: warming, melt, dissolve
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THAWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. ___ vera"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that succulent plants having rosettes of leaves usually with fiber like hemp and spikes of showy flowers; found chiefly in africa
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. Gave a hand"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
  • Similar words include: portion out, share, deal
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Greet someone informally"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. "Easy-peasy!""

16 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BADABINGBADABOOM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Attire for an infant"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Awe-inspiring solar phenomenon"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Severity"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something hard to endure
  • Similar words include: hardness, asperity, rigorousness
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIGOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Urban environmental hazard"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
  • Similar words include: smogginess
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Pen tips"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the writing point of a pen
  • Similar words include: neb, pen nib, bill
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "28. Clean with a rough spray"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a blast of wind laden with sand
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANDBLAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Blood ___"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an amber, watery fluid, rich in proteins, that separates out when blood coagulates
  • Similar words include: blood serum
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SERUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Acorn producer"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
  • Similar words include: oak tree
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. The 12 angry men in "12 Angry Men," e.g."

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who serves (or waits to be called to serve) on a jury
  • Similar words include: juryman, jurywoman, juror
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JURORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Finish flamboyantly ... like 17-, 28-, 43- and 56-Across?"

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "40. 2000-09, with "the""

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quantity of no importance
  • Similar words include: cipher, goose egg, nix
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AUGHTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "41. ___ and haw"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
  • Similar words include: ahem
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. Jumbo"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a garment size for a large person
  • Similar words include: with child, vauntingly, declamatory
  • Opposite of: little, small
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LARGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Colorful taffy candy brand"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "49. Laptop brand"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that type genus of the aceraceae; trees or shrubs having winged fruit
  • Similar words include: genus Acer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "50. Tons"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "51. Not having quite enough money"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed
  • Similar words include: forgetful, abruptly, poor
  • Opposite of: tall, long
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHORT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "53. "Really?""

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "55. Backside"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "56. 2023 double-platinum Chappell Roan record"

16 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDWINESUPERNOVA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "60. Toyota hybrid"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "61. Plumbing fixture found under the sink"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "62. Things assayers assay"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • Similar words include: ore
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "63. Reactions akin to "OMG!""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
  • Similar words include: puff, gasp, pant
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GASPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "64. Pigs' digs"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid
  • Similar words include: pigpen, stye, pigsty
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "65. Fill up"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fill to satisfaction
  • Similar words include: satiate, replete, fill
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Hard work 5
2D 2. Morissette with the 1996 hit "Ironic" 6
3D 3. Corner store 6
4D 4. Fall, e.g. 6
5D 5. Reading room 3
6D 6. Japanese city that's home to the Chinese Sofukuji Temple 8
7D 7. Subjects of some Billboard charts 6
8D 8. Old Russian ruler 4
9D 9. Cuban dance style 8
10D 10. Actress Edebiri 3
11D 11. "Which person are you referring to?" 3
12D 12. ___ card 3
13D 14. A standard one has 21 pips 3
14D 15. Fortune-telling deck 5
15D 18. Aviary inhabitant 4
16D 19. Hound 3
17D 25. It's "pumped" by bodybuilders 4
18D 26. Town 4
19D 27. Texting format, in brief 3
20D 29. Many internet spammers 4
21D 30. Rule 3
22D 31. Teacher for a day 3
23D 33. Part of a doorframe 4
24D 34. Tortilla chip dip, informally 4
25D 35. Shrek, e.g. 4
26D 36. "Wow, real mature" 8
27D 37. Sport-___ 3
28D 38. "Ow! Watch it!" 8
29D 39. "___/she" (chocolate bar's pronouns in a corny joke) 3
30D 40. In the manner of 3
31D 43. Power-saving computer mode 5
32D 44. They're often made at weddings 6
33D 45. One may accept the terms and conditions 4
34D 46. Heavyweight beasts, familiarly 6
35D 47. Mexican state bordering Chihuahua 6
36D 48. Hot pot holder 6
37D 50. Novelist Rand 3
38D 52. Backcomb 5
39D 54. Cat's warning 4
40D 55. Old-school term for "cool" 3
41D 56. World of Warcraft, e.g., in brief 3
42D 57. Long period 3
43D 58. Put down 3
44D 59. Salary 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Hard work"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
  • Similar words include: fag, toil, DoL
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LABOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Morissette with the 1996 hit "Ironic""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Corner store"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small hispanic shop selling wine and groceries
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BODEGA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Fall, e.g."

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
  • Similar words include: flavor, harden, flavour
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEASON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Reading room"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the habitation of wild animals
  • Similar words include: hideout, hideaway, lair
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Japanese city that's home to the Chinese Sofukuji Temple"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a city in southern japan on kyushu; a leading port and shipbuilding center; on august 9, 1945 nagasaki became the second populated area to receive an atomic bomb
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAGASAKI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Subjects of some Billboard charts"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one or more recordings issued together; originally released on 12-inch phonograph records (usually with attractive record covers) and later on cassette audiotape and compact disc
  • Similar words include: album, record album
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALBUMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Old Russian ruler"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Cuban dance style"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that music composed in duple time for dancing the habanera
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HABANERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Actress Edebiri"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "Which person are you referring to?""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. ___ card"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. A standard one has 21 pips"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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: give-up the ghost, drop dead, buy the farm
  • Opposite of: be born
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. Fortune-telling deck"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of a set of (usually 72) cards that include 22 cards representing virtues and vices and death and fortune etc.; used by fortunetellers
  • Similar words include: tarot card
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAROT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "18. Aviary inhabitant"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
  • Similar words include: birdwatch, hiss, snort
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BIRD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "19. Hound"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the genus canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
  • Similar words include: go after, cad, chase after
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. It's "pumped" by bodybuilders"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
  • Similar words include: atomic number 26, iron out, Fe
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Town"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that colloquial american term for a town
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BURG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Texting format, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a grey lustrous metallic element of the rare earth group; is used in special alloys; occurs in monazite and bastnasite
  • Similar words include: Sm, MS, Master of Science
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Many internet spammers"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that botfly larva; typically develops inside the body of a horse or sheep or human
  • Similar words include: bot
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Rule"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the collection of rules imposed by authority
  • Similar words include: legal philosophy, police, natural law
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. Teacher for a day"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the united states
  • Similar words include: substitute, Cuban sandwich, submarine
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Part of a doorframe"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that upright consisting of a vertical side member of a door or window frame
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JAMB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Tortilla chip dip, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Shrek, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "36. "Wow, real mature""

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "37. Sport-___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the shoshonean people of utah and colorado and new mexico
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "38. "Ow! Watch it!""

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "39. "___/she" (chocolate bar's pronouns in a corny joke)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "40. In the manner of"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "43. Power-saving computer mode"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
  • Similar words include: eternal sleep, nap, kip
  • Opposite of: wake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEEP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "44. They're often made at weddings"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that slices of bread that have been toasted
  • Similar words include: toast, drink, salute
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOASTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "45. One may accept the terms and conditions"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who makes use of a thing; someone who uses or employs something
  • Similar words include: substance abuser, drug user, exploiter
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "46. Heavyweight beasts, familiarly"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that massive powerful herbivorous odd-toed ungulate of southeast asia and africa having very thick skin and one or two horns on the snout
  • Similar words include: rhino, rhinoceros
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RHINOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "47. Mexican state bordering Chihuahua"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ground snakes
  • Similar words include: genus Sonora
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SONORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "48. Hot pot holder"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a three-legged metal stand for supporting a cooking vessel in a hearth
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRIVET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "50. Novelist Rand"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "52. Backcomb"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)
  • Similar words include: minx, twit, ribbing
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "54. Cat's warning"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
  • Similar words include: snort, whoosh, bird
  • Opposite of: applaud
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HISS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "55. Old-school term for "cool""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informed about the latest trends
  • Similar words include: hip, hip to
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "56. World of Warcraft, e.g., in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "57. Long 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: geological era, earned run average, epoch
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "58. Put down"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that god of the underworld; counterpart of greek pluto
  • Similar words include: Orcus
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44D: "59. Salary"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that remunerates
  • Similar words include: make up, earnings, yield
  • Opposite of: default
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAY

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
44 Down Clues
77 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: July 21, 2026 at 06:09 AM

Sunday, July 5, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 05, 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. Firm up 7
2A 8. Capital city on the Gulf of Guinea 5
3A 13. Gamer's pursuit 6
4A 19. Aid for a violin player 8
5A 20. Crocs and mocs 5
6A 21. Kind of costume that includes a round hat and kerchief 6
7A 22. {Elijah, Ruth, Natalie} 14
8A 24. "Send a quick reminder" 6
9A 25. "___ it and rip it!" (aggressive golfer's mantra) 4
10A 26. Org. for those leaving the workforce 4
11A 27. Product displays seen at entrances to store aisles 7
12A 28. {Kerouac, Dubya, Ginsberg} 18
13A 35. Colored 4
14A 36. Org. that accepts returns 3
15A 37. Grinders 5
16A 41. {WC, AC, DC} 20
17A 49. Jewish mysticism, in one spelling 6
18A 50. Love, in Lima 4
19A 51. Card game whose name is shouted 3
20A 52. Knee part often torn by athletes, in brief 3
21A 53. At any time 4
22A 54. Small test subjects 7
23A 57. Enforcer of traveling restrictions, informally? 6
24A 60. "The Second Coming" poet, 1919 5
25A 62. Ragú competitor 5
26A 63. The Shakespearean version of this has three quatrains followed by a couplet 6
27A 66. {Bonnie, Oscar, Clyde} 17
28A 70. Some salon tasks 6
29A 71. "Hammerin' Hank" of baseball 5
30A 72. Allow someone to pass 5
31A 75. 30-ounce Starbucks size 6
32A 78. Old Testament patriarch 7
33A 80. Close by 4
34A 81. Early email provider 3
35A 82. Rightmost hour on a grandfather clock 3
36A 85. Neighbor of an Estonian 4
37A 86. Evening that a couple spends together, say 6
38A 88. {Larry, Sue, Emma} 20
39A 94. Mexican mister 5
40A 95. Veer, as a ship 3
41A 96. Org. concerned with plants 4
42A 97. {Cinnabon, Kool-Aid, Hi-C} 18
43A 107. Powerhouse in English football 7
44A 110. Home to Waikiki Beach 4
45A 111. California's ___ Linda 4
46A 112. Rested atop 6
47A 113. {Landfill, goose feathers, junkyard} 14
48A 119. Pay no mind to 6
49A 120. Longtime Tribeca restaurant where some say the Cosmopolitan was invented, with "the" 5
50A 121. Thousands of binary digits 8
51A 122. Was overflowing 6
52A 123. Van Halen of Van Halen 5
53A 124. Extended voyage 7

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Firm up"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that become stiff or stiffer
  • Similar words include: tighten up, constrain, tighten
  • Opposite of: loosen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STIFFEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "8. Capital city on the Gulf of Guinea"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of ghana with a deep-water port
  • Similar words include: capital of Ghana
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACCRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "13. Gamer's pursuit"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "19. Aid for a violin player"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "20. Crocs and mocs"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular situation
  • Similar words include: place, horseshoe, brake shoe
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "21. Kind of costume that includes a round hat and kerchief"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any member of a ship's crew
  • Similar words include: straw hat, Panama, sailor boy
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAILOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "22. {Elijah, Ruth, Natalie}"

14 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "24. "Send a quick reminder""

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "25. "___ it and rip it!" (aggressive golfer's mantra)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of grasping
  • Similar words include: clutches, clasp, grasp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "26. Org. for those leaving the workforce"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an association of people to promote the welfare of senior citizens
  • Similar words include: Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AARP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "27. Product displays seen at entrances to store aisles"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "28. {Kerouac, Dubya, Ginsberg}"

18 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEATSAROUNDTHEBUSH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "35. Colored"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take on color or become colored
  • Similar words include: imbue, hue
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "36. Org. that accepts returns"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the bureau of the treasury department responsible for tax collections
  • Similar words include: Internal Revenue Service
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "37. Grinders"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
  • Similar words include: fighter, torpedo, Hero
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEROS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "41. {WC, AC, DC}"

20 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POWERBEHINDTHETHRONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "49. Jewish mysticism, in one spelling"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an esoteric or occult matter resembling the kabbalah that is traditionally secret
  • Similar words include: Kabbala, qabala, Cabala
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KABALA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "50. Love, in Lima"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (roman mythology) god of love; counterpart of greek eros
  • Similar words include: Cupid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "51. Card game whose name is shouted"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "52. Knee part often torn by athletes, in brief"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "53. At any time"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "54. Small test subjects"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "57. Enforcer of traveling restrictions, informally?"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "60. "The Second Coming" poet, 1919"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that irish poet and dramatist (1865-1939)
  • Similar words include: W. B. Yeats, William Butler Yeats
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "62. Ragú competitor"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "63. The Shakespearean version of this has three quatrains followed by a couplet"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SONNET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "66. {Bonnie, Oscar, Clyde}"

17 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONORAMONGTHIEVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "70. Some salon tasks"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a liquid preparation used on wet hair to give it a tint
  • Similar words include: wash, rinsing, rinse off
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RINSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "71. "Hammerin' Hank" of baseball"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states professional baseball player who hit more home runs than babe ruth (born in 1934)
  • Similar words include: Henry Louis Aaron, Hank Aaron
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AARON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "72. Allow someone to pass"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that production of a certain amount
  • Similar words include: give way, bear, take
  • Opposite of: stand, survive
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YIELD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "75. 30-ounce Starbucks size"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "78. Old Testament patriarch"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the first of the old testament patriarchs and the father of isaac; according to genesis, god promised to give abraham's family (the hebrews) the land of canaan (the promised land); god tested abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son
  • Similar words include: Ibrahim
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABRAHAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "80. Close by"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move towards
  • Similar words include: come on, well-nigh, good
  • Opposite of: far
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "81. Early email provider"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "82. Rightmost hour on a grandfather clock"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
  • Similar words include: trine, ternion, triplet
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: III

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "85. Neighbor of an Estonian"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "86. Evening that a couple spends together, say"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "88. {Larry, Sue, Emma}"

20 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWOBIRDSWITHONESTONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "94. Mexican mister"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "95. Veer, as a ship"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an erratic deflection from an intended course
  • Similar words include: gape, yawn, swerve
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "96. Org. concerned with plants"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a government agency in the department of labor to maintain a safe and healthy work environment
  • Similar words include: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OSHA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42A: "97. {Cinnabon, Kool-Aid, Hi-C}"

18 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROLLWITHTHEPUNCHES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43A: "107. Powerhouse in English football"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that all the weapons and equipment that a country has
  • Similar words include: armoury, armory
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARSENAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44A: "110. Home to Waikiki Beach"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an island of central hawaii (between molokai and kauai); the chief island of the state
  • Similar words include: Oahu Island
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAHU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45A: "111. California's ___ Linda"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46A: "112. Rested atop"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47A: "113. {Landfill, goose feathers, junkyard}"

14 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48A: "119. Pay no mind to"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that refuse to acknowledge
  • Similar words include: cut, push aside, neglect
  • Opposite of: notice, know
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IGNORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49A: "120. Longtime Tribeca restaurant where some say the Cosmopolitan was invented, with "the""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50A: "121. Thousands of binary digits"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of information equal to 1000 bits
  • Similar words include: kb, kbit, kilobit
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KILOBITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51A: "122. Was overflowing"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be teeming, be abuzz
  • Similar words include: stream, pullulate, swarm
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEEMED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52A: "123. Van Halen of Van Halen"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53A: "124. Extended voyage"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long wandering and eventful journey
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODYSSEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Angel's ___ (distiller's term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging) 5
2D 2. Shinbone 5
3D 3. Completely incompetent 5
4D 4. Time for Sat. prep? 3
5D 5. Marshland 3
6D 6. Suffix for superlatives 3
7D 7. Unspecified member of a series 3
8D 8. Nile dam 5
9D 9. Triad, e.g. 5
10D 10. Assume 5
11D 11. Lead-in to River or Rover 3
12D 12. Dummkopf 3
13D 13. Broadcaster of many an N.C.A.A. game 5
14D 14. Called for quiet 7
15D 15. Penny ___ (miser) 7
16D 16. Lingerie brand with a Slavic-sounding name 4
17D 17. Fun time 4
18D 18. "___ bon!" 4
19D 19. Bygone N.Y.C. music venue with rhyming initials 4
20D 23. Wisconsin's ___ Claire 3
21D 27. Buddy of "The Beverly Hillbillies" 5
22D 29. Apt name for a conchologist? 4
23D 30. Ear-related 5
24D 31. Yank's Civil War foe 3
25D 32. What has flatter feet? 3
26D 33. Achieve success, so to speak 3
27D 34. Chinese instrument with two strings 4
28D 38. Sound of an approaching subway train 4
29D 39. Start of a reminiscence 4
30D 40. Word with confidence or checkout 4
31D 41. Do some roadwork on 4
32D 42. Folk religion akin to voodoo 5
33D 43. Battered by battle 7
34D 44. Women's areas in old Muslim palaces 6
35D 45. Last stage of an insect's development 5
36D 46. "No way, no how!" 9
37D 47. Neurosurgeons, e.g.: Abbr. 3
38D 48. Metric unit of weight 5
39D 49. Map legend 3
40D 55. Figs. related to car loans 4
41D 56. Scottish hill 4
42D 58. Big bunch 4
43D 59. Eroded 7
44D 61. Pouty mood 4
45D 63. Lead-in to sphere, in the atmosphere 6
46D 64. "Hey! I know the answer!" 4
47D 65. Atlantic crosser of 1492 4
48D 67. Sign outside a broadcast booth 5
49D 68. Wayne's buddy in "Wayne's World" 5
50D 69. Admit 5
51D 73. Really weak, as an excuse 4
52D 74. Beats by ___ (audio brand) 3
53D 75. They might be up in arms, informally 4
54D 76. T. ___ Price (investment firm) 4
55D 77. "I bought this before ___ went crazy" (rueful bumper sticker on a Tesla) 4
56D 78. He was né Clay 3
57D 79. ___ pork (dish in a Chinese restaurant) 5
58D 83. Tale of rustic life 5
59D 84. "Vidi," in Caesar's boast 4
60D 87. Satirist Freberg 4
61D 89. You won't actually die of it 7
62D 90. Rocks smelted to make steel 7
63D 91. Conflict sparked by an archduke's assassination: Abbr. 3
64D 92. San Francisco's ___ Valley 3
65D 93. Madrid's land, in the Olympics 3
66D 98. Like Olympic pools 5
67D 99. Like some cars parked next to "No Parking" signs 5
68D 100. Vietnam's capital 5
69D 101. Old-fashioned "your" 5
70D 102. Soldier for Attila 3
71D 103. Black suit 5
72D 104. Good pal 5
73D 105. Out of gas 5
74D 106. Lip 4
75D 107. Settled down, in a way 4
76D 108. All the ___ 4
77D 109. Kind of wave 4
78D 113. Last name for an unnamed person 3
79D 114. Curious 3
80D 115. Ring result, in brief 3
81D 116. Secreted away 3
82D 117. Ron who played Tarzan 3
83D 118. Two in Tijuana 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Angel's ___ (distiller's term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group
  • Similar words include: plowshare, ploughshare, part
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Shinbone"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the inner and thicker of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle
  • Similar words include: shin, shin bone, shinbone
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIBIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Completely incompetent"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not elegant or graceful in expression
  • Similar words include: awkward, ill-chosen, cumbersome
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INEPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Time for Sat. prep?"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
  • Similar words include: Friday
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Marshland"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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!

6D: "6. Suffix for superlatives"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Unspecified member of a series"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that last or greatest in an indefinitely large series
  • Similar words include: n-th
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Nile dam"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ancient city on the nile in egypt; two dams across the nile have been built nearby
  • Similar words include: Assuan, Assouan
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASWAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Triad, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a straight line connecting two points on a curve
  • Similar words include: harmonize, harmonise
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHORD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Assume"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Lead-in to River or Rover"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
  • Similar words include: scarlet, cerise, crimson
  • Opposite of: gain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Dummkopf"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: screwing, rear, tush
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Broadcaster of many an N.C.A.A. game"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Called for quiet"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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15D: "15. Penny ___ (miser)"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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16D: "16. Lingerie brand with a Slavic-sounding name"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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17D: "17. Fun time"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an easy victory
  • Similar words include: runaway, blowout, sport
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROMP

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18D: "18. "___ bon!""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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19D: "19. Bygone N.Y.C. music venue with rhyming initials"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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20D: "23. Wisconsin's ___ Claire"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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21D: "27. Buddy of "The Beverly Hillbillies""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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22D: "29. Apt name for a conchologist?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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23D: "30. Ear-related"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or pertaining to hearing or the ear
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "31. Yank's Civil War foe"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that `johnny' was applied as a nickname for confederate soldiers by the federal soldiers in the american civil war; `greyback' derived from their grey confederate uniforms
  • Similar words include: Johnny Reb, greyback, Rebel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "32. What has flatter feet?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "33. Achieve success, so to speak"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball)
  • Similar words include: striking, off, strike
  • Opposite of: miss
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "34. Chinese instrument with two strings"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "38. Sound of an approaching subway train"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deep prolonged loud noise
  • Similar words include: holla, bellowing, roaring
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "39. Start of a reminiscence"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that on one occasion
  • Similar words include: in one case, erst, erstwhile
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "40. Word with confidence or checkout"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that your consciousness of your own identity
  • Similar words include: ego
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SELF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "41. Do some roadwork on"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a setting with precious stones so closely set that no metal shows
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAVE

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32D: "42. Folk religion akin to voodoo"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (west indies) followers of a religious system involving witchcraft and sorcery
  • Similar words include: obi
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBEAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "43. Battered by battle"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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34D: "44. Women's areas in old Muslim palaces"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a muslim household
  • Similar words include: seraglio, harem, hareem
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAREMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "45. Last stage of an insect's development"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (psychoanalysis) an idealized image of someone (usually a parent) formed in childhood
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMAGO

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36D: "46. "No way, no how!""

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "47. Neurosurgeons, e.g.: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "48. Metric unit of weight"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of weight equivalent to 1000 kilograms
  • Similar words include: MT, metric ton, t
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TONNE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "49. Map legend"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
  • Similar words include: samara, tonality, paint
  • Opposite of: atonality
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "55. Figs. related to car loans"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the month following march and preceding may
  • Similar words include: Apr, April
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "56. Scottish hill"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slope or hillside
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRAE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "58. Big bunch"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large gathering of people of a particular type
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEVY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "59. Eroded"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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44D: "61. Pouty mood"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of agitated irritation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45D: "63. Lead-in to sphere, in the atmosphere"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46D: "64. "Hey! I know the answer!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47D: "65. Atlantic crosser of 1492"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of ea
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NINA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48D: "67. Sign outside a broadcast booth"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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49D: "68. Wayne's buddy in "Wayne's World""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50D: "69. Admit"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51D: "73. Really weak, as an excuse"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who doesn't understand what is going on
  • Similar words include: feeble, gimpy, game
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52D: "74. Beats by ___ (audio brand)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53D: "75. They might be up in arms, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54D: "76. T. ___ Price (investment firm)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55D: "77. "I bought this before ___ went crazy" (rueful bumper sticker on a Tesla)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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56D: "78. He was né Clay"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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!

57D: "79. ___ pork (dish in a Chinese restaurant)"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58D: "83. Tale of rustic life"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an episode of such pastoral or romantic charm as to qualify as the subject of a poetic idyll
  • Similar words include: pastorale, eclogue, bucolic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDYLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59D: "84. "Vidi," in Caesar's boast"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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60D: "87. Satirist Freberg"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61D: "89. You won't actually die of it"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  • Similar words include: tedium, ennui
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOREDOM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62D: "90. Rocks smelted to make steel"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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63D: "91. Conflict sparked by an archduke's assassination: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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64D: "92. San Francisco's ___ Valley"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65D: "93. Madrid's land, in the Olympics"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66D: "98. Like Olympic pools"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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67D: "99. Like some cars parked next to "No Parking" signs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that drag behind
  • Similar words include: tow
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOWED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68D: "100. Vietnam's capital"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital city of vietnam; located in north vietnam
  • Similar words include: capital of Vietnam
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HANOI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69D: "101. Old-fashioned "your""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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70D: "102. Soldier for Attila"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a nomadic people who invaded europe in the 4th century
  • Similar words include: Jerry, Krauthead, Boche
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71D: "103. Black suit"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
  • Similar words include: clubhouse, order, nine
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLUBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

72D: "104. Good pal"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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73D: "105. Out of gas"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a container that has been emptied
  • Similar words include: abandon, vacuous, evacuate
  • Opposite of: fill, full
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMPTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

74D: "106. Lip"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an impudent or insolent rejoinder
  • Similar words include: lip, sassing, back talk
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

75D: "107. Settled down, in a way"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

76D: "108. All the ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a feeling of intense anger
  • Similar words include: furore, furor, passion
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

77D: "109. Kind of wave"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ratio of the length of the side opposite the given angle to the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle
  • Similar words include: sin
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

78D: "113. Last name for an unnamed person"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the united states; created in 1977
  • Similar words include: Energy, Department of Energy, Energy Department
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

79D: "114. Curious"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not divisible by two
  • Similar words include: singular, unpaired, unexpended
  • Opposite of: even
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

80D: "115. Ring result, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a knockout declared by the referee who judges one boxer unable to continue
  • Similar words include: technical knockout
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TKO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

81D: "116. Secreted away"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prevent from being seen or discovered
  • Similar words include: obscure, conceal, enshroud
  • Opposite of: show
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

82D: "117. Ron who played Tarzan"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

83D: "118. Two in Tijuana"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the federal department in the united states that sets and maintains foreign policies
  • Similar words include: make out, disk operating system, doh
  • Opposite of: unmake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOS

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

53 Across Clues
83 Down Clues
136 Total Clues

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Last updated: July 05, 2026 at 06:53 AM