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Saturday, August 15, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 15, 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. Began 6
2A 7. Show faces? 8
3A 15. Bring back into the fold, so to speak 6
4A 16. Worth looking back on 8
5A 17. One from "Japan's kitchen" 6
6A 18. Appeal 8
7A 19. Bit of ceramic ware 3
8A 20. Cast off 7
9A 22. 7/ 3
10A 23. "Lovely" and "wonderful" food, per Monty Python 4
11A 25. Rose Bowl Stadium athlete 5
12A 26. Big ring 4
13A 27. Patient privacy law, in brief 5
14A 29. World Cup team nicknamed "The Three Lions": Abbr. 3
15A 30. Say "Hey," say 5
16A 31. "Speak up" 12
17A 34. Intermezzo and trou normand dishes, essentially 15
18A 38. Hoedown get-down? 12
19A 39. Long-___ squid 5
20A 42. "Wayne's World" exclamation 3
21A 43. Christina of "Buffalo '66" 5
22A 44. Ring location 4
23A 45. Oil wells? 5
24A 47. Nickname for Eleanor 4
25A 48. Eye-catching stage prop 3
26A 49. "Got it?" 7
27A 51. Thru 3
28A 52. Underlining, e.g. 8
29A 54. Classical figure in an 1898 Gustav Klimt oil 6
30A 56. Some back-and-forth 8
31A 57. Big name in fashion 6
32A 58. Go in the wrong way? 8
33A 59. "I beg you!" 6

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Began"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
  • Similar words include: come home, fall into place, dawn
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAWNED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "7. Show faces?"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "15. Bring back into the fold, so to speak"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "16. Worth looking back on"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that belonging to the past; of what is important or famous in the past
  • Similar words include: historical
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HISTORIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. One from "Japan's kitchen""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. Appeal"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that earnest or urgent request
  • Similar words include: prayer, appeal
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENTREATY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. Bit of ceramic ware"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
  • Similar words include: heap, toilet, throne
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Cast off"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. 7/"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. "Lovely" and "wonderful" food, per Monty Python"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a canned meat made largely from pork
  • Similar words include: junk e-mail
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "25. Rose Bowl Stadium athlete"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a conventional name for a bear used in tales following usage in the old epic `reynard the fox'
  • Similar words include: brown bear, Ursus arctos
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRUIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. Big ring"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deep prolonged sound (as of thunder or large bells)
  • Similar words include: pealing, rolling, roll
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Patient privacy law, in brief"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. World Cup team nicknamed "The Three Lions": Abbr."

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Say "Hey," say"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)
  • Similar words include: bellow, holloa, holler
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOLLA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. "Speak up""

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Intermezzo and trou normand dishes, essentially"

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. Hoedown get-down?"

12 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "39. Long-___ squid"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prepare oneself for a military confrontation
  • Similar words include: gird, fortify, arm
  • Opposite of: disarm, unarmed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARMED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. "Wayne's World" exclamation"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Christina of "Buffalo '66""

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. Ring location"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (anatomy) a somewhat rounded subdivision of a bodily organ or part
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOBE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "45. Oil wells?"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any tiny hole admitting passage of a liquid (fluid or gas)
  • Similar words include: centre, rivet, concentrate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PORES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "47. Nickname for Eleanor"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "48. Eye-catching stage prop"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
  • Similar words include: feather boa
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "49. "Got it?""

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "51. Thru"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Underlining, e.g."

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that special importance or significance
  • Similar words include: stress, vehemence, accent
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMPHASIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "54. Classical figure in an 1898 Gustav Klimt oil"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian of athens; identified with roman minerva
  • Similar words include: Pallas, Pallas Athene, Pallas Athena
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATHENA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "56. Some back-and-forth"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that adroitness and cleverness in reply
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REPARTEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. Big name in fashion"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "58. Go in the wrong way?"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wrongful interference with the possession of property (personal property as well as realty), or the action instituted to recover damages
  • Similar words include: violation, intrusion, intrude
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRESPASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "59. "I beg you!""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that give pleasure to or be pleasing to
  • Similar words include: delight
  • Opposite of: displease
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLEASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Cut out the middleman, for delivery 8
2D 2. Fabulous collection 8
3D 3. "You're the best!" 8
4D 4. No-good ending? 3
5D 5. Diamond figs. 4
6D 6. Leftmost star of the Summer Triangle 5
7D 7. Classic 1926 novel often published with a bull and matador on its cover 15
8D 8. Dressing group 12
9D 9. Gamgee player in "Lord of the Rings" 5
10D 10. ___-C 4
11D 11. The second one on the Statue of Liberty is longer than its first one 3
12D 12. Toothache care option 6
13D 13. Communion, e.g. 6
14D 14. Charybdis' man-eating opposite, in myth 6
15D 21. Upper regions of forests 12
16D 24. Sea cow 7
17D 26. French Baroque artist Nicolas 7
18D 28. Challenged on X, say 5
19D 30. Scout's follower? 5
20D 32. Bad spell 3
21D 33. Partner of pitch and roll 3
22D 35. "You get the point" 8
23D 36. Kicks back, in a way 8
24D 37. Crime writer Mickey who created the Mike Hammer stories 8
25D 39. Prince of Monaco beginning in 2005 6
26D 40. Certain tenant 6
27D 41. French soccer superstar Kylian 6
28D 45. Some bow ties 5
29D 46. Where roots take hold 5
30D 49. Complain 4
31D 50. Citation shortener 4
32D 53. Tricks 3
33D 55. Orange or lime 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Cut out the middleman, for delivery"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Fabulous collection"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. "You're the best!""

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. No-good ending?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Diamond figs."

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Leftmost star of the Summer Triangle"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the brightest star in cygnus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DENEB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Classic 1926 novel often published with a bull and matador on its cover"

15 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Dressing group"

12 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that oil and vinegar with mustard and garlic
  • Similar words include: sauce vinaigrette, vinaigrette, French dressing
  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VINAIGRETTES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Gamgee player in "Lord of the Rings""

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. ___-C"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. The second one on the Statue of Liberty is longer than its first one"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of the digits of the foot
  • Similar words include: toenail
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Toothache care option"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Communion, e.g."

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any customary observance or practice
  • Similar words include: rite
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RITUAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Charybdis' man-eating opposite, in myth"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) a sea nymph transformed into a sea monster who lived on one side of a narrow strait; drowned and devoured sailors who tried to escape charybdis (a whirlpool) on the other side of the strait
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCYLLA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Upper regions of forests"

12 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Sea cow"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sirenian mammal of tropical coastal waters of america; the flat tail is rounded
  • Similar words include: Trichechus manatus
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANATEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. French Baroque artist Nicolas"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that french painter in the classical style (1594-1665)
  • Similar words include: Nicolas Poussin
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POUSSIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Challenged on X, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "30. Scout's follower?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
  • Similar words include: honour, purity, pureness
  • Opposite of: dishonor, disrespect
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "32. Bad spell"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an evil spell
  • Similar words include: curse, bewitch, glamour
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "33. Partner of pitch and roll"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. "You get the point""

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that additional unspecified odds and ends; more of the same
  • Similar words include: etc., and so forth, and so on
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETCETERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Kicks back, in a way"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move the upper body backwards and down
  • Similar words include: repose, lean back, recumb
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RECLINES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Crime writer Mickey who created the Mike Hammer stories"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states writer of popular detective novels (born in 1918)
  • Similar words include: Mickey Spillane, Frank Morrison Spillane
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPILLANE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "39. Prince of Monaco beginning in 2005"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prince consort of queen victoria of england (1819-1861)
  • Similar words include: Prince Albert, Albert Francis Charles Augustus Emmanuel
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALBERT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "40. Certain tenant"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tenant in someone's house
  • Similar words include: boarder, lodger
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROOMER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. French soccer superstar Kylian"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "45. Some bow ties"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dish that contains pasta as its main ingredient
  • Similar words include: alimentary paste
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "46. Where roots take hold"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the skin that covers the top of the head
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCALP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. Complain"

4 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
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Citation shortener"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "53. Tricks"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
  • Similar words include: feature, make, let
  • Opposite of: abstain, refuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "55. Orange or lime"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength
  • Similar words include: imbue, chromaticity
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUE

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
33 Down Clues
66 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 15, 2026 at 03:59 AM

Sunday, May 31, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 31, 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. Sacsayhuamán fortress builders 5
2A 6. Literary forerunner of Captain Hook 4
3A 10. Many an Alpha Beta in "Revenge of the Nerds" 4
4A 14. Help-wanted letters 3
5A 17. Fermented vegan protein 6
6A 19. Wrestler/actor John 4
7A 20. Coin with 12 stars around the border 4
8A 21. Align 4
9A 22. Home of the legendary folk hero at 116-Across 11
10A 24. One involved with checks and balances 9
11A 26. Without 4
12A 27. Green spaces 8
13A 29. Hero of Arabian tales 7
14A 30. In the past 3
15A 31. ___ Mahal 3
16A 32. Expertise demonstrated by 116-Across in a fabled feat of precision 12
17A 34. Home Run ___ (annual M.L.B. event) 5
18A 36. D.O.J. agency 3
19A 39. Fuel-efficient Toyota 5
20A 40. Main ideas 5
21A 41. Athletic skill mastered by 116-Across 7
22A 44. W-9 fig. 3
23A 45. Banned substance, in sports lingo 3
24A 46. Diego Rivera project 5
25A 48. Apt name for a lawyer 3
26A 49. Laughed loudly 6
27A 52. N.C.A.A. hoops powerhouse 3
28A 53. Like the Statue of Liberty at night 5
29A 55. Beatle who sang "Yellow Submarine" 5
30A 57. Sailor's septet 4
31A 60. Go-getter's opposite 8
32A 62. Through 3
33A 63. "Drat!," in Dortmund 3
34A 65. "The Situation Room" airer 3
35A 66. Chirruping bird 7
36A 67. Pat down 5
37A 69. City sobriquet that might describe the target for 116-Across, as depicted in this puzzle 11
38A 71. Stuff in a puff 3
39A 72. She-ep? 3
40A 73. Home to the Burj Khalifa, in brief 3
41A 74. Appointments that may lead to better contacts 8
42A 76. Dampens 4
43A 78. "Whoa, ___!" 5
44A 80. Bel ___ cheese 5
45A 81. Instinctive 3
46A 82. Religious dissent 6
47A 84. $5 bill, slangily 3
48A 85. Actress Spacek 5
49A 87. Negative logic gate in electrical engineering 3
50A 88. Cartesian conclusion 3
51A 91. Composer of an overture dedicated to 116-Across 7
52A 93. Gets lost 5
53A 96. Came to a conclusion 5
54A 98. "Doctor ___" 3
55A 99. Start of an encrypted URL 5
56A 103. Streaker in the night sky ... or a punny description of 116-Across 12
57A 106. Acid 3
58A 108. Unprocessed, as data 3
59A 109. Inspiration for many seasonal festivals 7
60A 110. Oscar-winning 2019 film directed by Bong Joon Ho 8
61A 113. Smoke, perhaps 4
62A 114. What may begin at the end 9
63A 116. Legendary figure who's the subject of this puzzle 11
64A 118. Orchard selection 4
65A 119. Lot calculation 4
66A 120. "All's well with me" 4
67A 121. Human 6
68A 122. Masthead figs. 3
69A 123. Timid 4
70A 124. Quibbles 4
71A 125. Ruses 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Sacsayhuamán fortress builders"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a ruler of the incas (or a member of his family)
  • Similar words include: Incan, Inca, Inka
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Literary forerunner of Captain Hook"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Many an Alpha Beta in "Revenge of the Nerds""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Help-wanted letters"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an internationally recognized distress signal in radio code
  • Similar words include: soh, sol, so
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. Fermented vegan protein"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "19. Wrestler/actor John"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "20. Coin with 12 stars around the border"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic monetary unit of most members of the european union (introduced in 1999); in 2002 twelve european nations (germany, france, belgium, luxembourg, the netherlands, italy, spain, portugal, ireland, greece, austria, finland) adopted the euro as their basic unit of money and abandoned their traditional currencies
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EURO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "21. Align"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make synchronous and adjust in time or manner
  • Similar words include: synchronize, synchronise
  • Opposite of: desynchronize, desynchronise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SYNC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Home of the legendary folk hero at 116-Across"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a landlocked federal republic in central europe
  • Similar words include: Svizzera, Swiss Confederation, Schweiz
  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWITZERLAND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "24. One involved with checks and balances"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an officer charged with receiving and disbursing funds
  • Similar words include: financial officer
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TREASURER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "26. Without"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "27. Green spaces"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock
  • Similar words include: browse, grazing land, range
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTURES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "29. Hero of Arabian tales"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. In the past"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gone by; or in the past
  • Similar words include: agone
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. ___ Mahal"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. Expertise demonstrated by 116-Across in a fabled feat of precision"

12 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that skill in shooting
  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARKSMANSHIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Home Run ___ (annual M.L.B. event)"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a felt hat that is round and hard with a narrow brim
  • Similar words include: plug hat, bowler hat, bowler
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DERBY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. D.O.J. agency"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the law enforcement and tax collection agency of the treasury department that enforces federal laws concerning alcohol and tobacco products and firearms and explosives and arson
  • Similar words include: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "39. Fuel-efficient Toyota"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Main ideas"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
  • Similar words include: heart, meat, sum
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GISTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. Athletic skill mastered by 116-Across"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sport of shooting arrows with a bow
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCHERY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. W-9 fig."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "45. Banned substance, in sports lingo"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Diego Rivera project"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a painting that is applied to a wall surface
  • Similar words include: wall painting
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MURAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "48. Apt name for a lawyer"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that french writer whose novels described the sordid side of city life (1804-1857)
  • Similar words include: action, Eugene Sue, process
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "49. Laughed loudly"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
  • Similar words include: howl, yawl, bellow
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROARED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "52. N.C.A.A. hoops powerhouse"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. Like the Statue of Liberty at night"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. Beatle who sang "Yellow Submarine""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that rock star and drummer for the beatles (born in 1940)
  • Similar words include: Richard Starkey, Starkey, Ringo Starr
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STARR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "57. Sailor's septet"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
  • Similar words include: sea, ocean
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "60. Go-getter's opposite"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who fails to meet a financial obligation
  • Similar words include: defaulter
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEADBEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. Through"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. "Drat!," in Dortmund"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "65. "The Situation Room" airer"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "66. Chirruping bird"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
  • Similar words include: Prunella modularis, dunnock, hedge sparrow
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPARROW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "67. Pat down"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of searching someone for concealed weapons or illegal drugs
  • Similar words include: rollick, run around, frisking
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRISK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "69. City sobriquet that might describe the target for 116-Across, as depicted in this puzzle"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "71. Stuff in a puff"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
  • Similar words include: send, air travel, melody
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "72. She-ep?"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a people living in southern benin and togo and southeastern ghana
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EWE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "73. Home to the Burj Khalifa, in brief"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "74. Appointments that may lead to better contacts"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42A: "76. Dampens"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wetness caused by water
  • Similar words include: moisture, wet
  • Opposite of: dry
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43A: "78. "Whoa, ___!""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44A: "80. Bel ___ cheese"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45A: "81. Instinctive"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus
  • Similar words include: intestine, bowel, catgut
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46A: "82. Religious dissent"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
  • Similar words include: heterodoxy, unorthodoxy
  • Opposite of: orthodoxy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HERESY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47A: "84. $5 bill, slangily"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48A: "85. Actress Spacek"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive
  • Similar words include: sissyish, cissy, emasculate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SISSY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49A: "87. Negative logic gate in electrical engineering"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50A: "88. Cartesian conclusion"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51A: "91. Composer of an overture dedicated to 116-Across"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that italian composer remembered for his operas (1792-1868)
  • Similar words include: Giloacchino Antonio Rossini
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSSINI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52A: "93. Gets lost"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that singing jazz; the singer substitutes nonsense syllables for the words of the song and tries to sound like a musical instrument
  • Similar words include: scat, bunk, scarper
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53A: "96. Came to a conclusion"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
  • Similar words include: terminate, over, terminated
  • Opposite of: begin
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENDED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54A: "98. "Doctor ___""

3 letters Category: Common Word

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!

55A: "99. Start of an encrypted URL"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a protocol (utilizing tcp) to transfer hypertext requests and information between servers and browsers
  • Similar words include: HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HTTPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56A: "103. Streaker in the night sky ... or a punny description of 116-Across"

12 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57A: "106. Acid"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid
  • Similar words include: lysergic acid diethylamide
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LSD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58A: "108. Unprocessed, as data"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal terms for nakedness
  • Similar words include: in the raw, bleak, crude
  • Opposite of: cooked
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59A: "109. Inspiration for many seasonal festivals"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the yield from plants in a single growing season
  • Similar words include: harvest time, harvesting, crop
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARVEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60A: "110. Oscar-winning 2019 film directed by Bong Joon Ho"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host
  • Similar words include: sponge, leech, sponger
  • Opposite of: host
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARASITE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61A: "113. Smoke, perhaps"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain
  • Similar words include: heal, curative, therapeutic
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CURE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62A: "114. What may begin at the end"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that life after death
  • Similar words include: hereafter
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFTERLIFE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63A: "116. Legendary figure who's the subject of this puzzle"

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64A: "118. Orchard selection"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
  • Similar words include: Pyrus communis, pear tree
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65A: "119. Lot calculation"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
  • Similar words include: country, expanse, orbit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66A: "120. "All's well with me""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

67A: "121. Human"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a human being
  • Similar words include: somebody, person, deadly
  • Opposite of: immortal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORTAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68A: "122. Masthead figs."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rapid automatic system to detect plastic explosives in passengers' luggage using x-ray technology and computers; designed for use in airports
  • Similar words include: male erecticle dysfunction, ED, explosive detection system
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69A: "123. Timid"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
  • Similar words include: spiritless, mild, modest
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEEK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

70A: "124. Quibbles"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a luminance unit equal to 1 candle per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source
  • Similar words include: nit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71A: "125. Ruses"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker
  • Similar words include: ploy, stratagem, gambit
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLOYS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. "What a bummer" 6
2D 2. À la Enya 6
3D 3. Key with three flats 6
4D 4. Studios and penthouses: Abbr. 4
5D 5. "___ me!" 3
6D 6. Knee parts, for short 4
7D 7. Part of a track meet 4
8D 8. Per ___ (accounting term) 5
9D 9. Undeserved condemnation 6
10D 10. Watercraft that leave "rooster tails" in their wakes 7
11D 11. "___ home and native land!" 3
12D 12. Absolutely whomps, in sports lingo 6
13D 13. "Bear" that's not a bear 5
14D 14. Some red wines 6
15D 15. Smallest quantity of digital data 6
16D 16. Abandons, as a project 6
17D 18. Purifying filter acronym 4
18D 21. Eases 8
19D 23. Jasmine's tiger companion in "Aladdin" 5
20D 25. Big name in sewing machines 6
21D 28. Messes up 4
22D 31. TV host Banks 4
23D 33. Longtime jazz bandleader with an Egyptian-inspired name 5
24D 35. Where Cary Grant orders a Gibson in a classic scene from "North by Northwest" 6
25D 37. Magnetic unit named for an inventor 5
26D 38. Productive ... or a punny description of the feat performed by 116-Across? 8
27D 42. Many a liquor license applicant 9
28D 43. As of now 3
29D 45. Board game with ancient origins 9
30D 46. Gooey chocolate dessert 6
31D 47. Discover 7
32D 50. Holds forth 6
33D 51. Tenth, in Latin 7
34D 54. Small flycatchers named for their call, not their size 6
35D 55. Bro kin 3
36D 56. What 116-Across did before and after this puzzle's feat? 8
37D 58. Dread-full? 6
38D 59. Popular beverage brand 7
39D 61. Dr. ___ 3
40D 62. Compete 3
41D 64. Bad spelling? 3
42D 66. Lead-in to bones or bucks 3
43D 68. Sunbeam 3
44D 70. Abandons a project, slangily 6
45D 75. "Oy!" 5
46D 77. Forwarded 8
47D 79. Full of tall tales 5
48D 80. It's better than a bogey 3
49D 83. Team lineup 6
50D 86. Like most modern TV broadcasts 4
51D 89. "Money-back guarantee" and "Limited-time offer" 7
52D 90. Self-referential 4
53D 92. Conductor Georg 5
54D 93. Snaky double curve 6
55D 94. Really irritated 6
56D 95. Main lines 6
57D 96. Full 6
58D 97. Australian city named for a scientist 6
59D 100. Closely following 6
60D 101. Gambler's combo bet 6
61D 102. Waves sought by surfers 6
62D 104. Five Pillars religion 5
63D 105. "Spider-Man" director Sam 5
64D 107. Stitcher's line 4
65D 111. Tee time or airtime, e.g. 4
66D 112. Sorts 4
67D 113. Corner key 4
68D 115. Toll 3
69D 117. Bucket list item? 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. "What a bummer""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. À la Enya"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Key with three flats"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Studios and penthouses: Abbr."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. "___ me!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Knee parts, for short"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Part of a track meet"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
  • Similar words include: oestrus, heating, rut
  • Opposite of: coldness, cool
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Per ___ (accounting term)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (latin) year
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANNUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Undeserved condemnation"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Watercraft that leave "rooster tails" in their wakes"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "___ home and native land!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Absolutely whomps, in sports lingo"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the best people or things in a group
  • Similar words include: clobber, drub, lick
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CREAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. "Bear" that's not a bear"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sluggish tailless australian arboreal marsupial with grey furry ears and coat; feeds on eucalyptus leaves and bark
  • Similar words include: kangaroo bear, koala bear, native bear
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KOALA

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14D: "14. Some red wines"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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15D: "15. Smallest quantity of digital data"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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16D: "16. Abandons, as a project"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
  • Similar words include: fighting, combat, altercate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCRAPS

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17D: "18. Purifying filter acronym"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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18D: "21. Eases"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wear off or die down
  • Similar words include: subside, lessen, sink
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUBSIDES

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19D: "23. Jasmine's tiger companion in "Aladdin""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a prince or king in india
  • Similar words include: raja
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAJAH

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20D: "25. Big name in sewing machines"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who sings
  • Similar words include: Isaac Merrit Singer, Isaac M. Singer, vocalizer
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINGER

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21D: "28. Messes up"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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22D: "31. TV host Banks"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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23D: "33. Longtime jazz bandleader with an Egyptian-inspired name"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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24D: "35. Where Cary Grant orders a Gibson in a classic scene from "North by Northwest""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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25D: "37. Magnetic unit named for an inventor"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of magnetic flux density equal to one weber per square meter
  • Similar words include: Nikola Tesla
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TESLA

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26D: "38. Productive ... or a punny description of the feat performed by 116-Across?"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that productive or conducive to producing in abundance
  • Opposite of: unfruitful
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRUITFUL

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27D: "42. Many a liquor license applicant"

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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28D: "43. As of now"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that up to the present time
  • Similar words include: notwithstanding, even so, nonetheless
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YET

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29D: "45. Board game with ancient origins"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a modern board game based on pachisi
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARCHEESI

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30D: "46. Gooey chocolate dessert"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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31D: "47. Discover"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that bring to light
  • Similar words include: excavate
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNEARTH

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32D: "50. Holds forth"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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33D: "51. Tenth, in Latin"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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34D: "54. Small flycatchers named for their call, not their size"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small olive-colored woodland flycatchers of eastern north america
  • Similar words include: pewit, wood pewee, peewit
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEWEES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "55. Bro kin"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a female person who has the same parents as another person
  • Similar words include: International System, SI, sister
  • Opposite of: brother
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIS

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36D: "56. What 116-Across did before and after this puzzle's feat?"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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37D: "58. Dread-full?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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38D: "59. Popular beverage brand"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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39D: "61. Dr. ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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40D: "62. Compete"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
  • Similar words include: contend, compete
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIE

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41D: "64. Bad spelling?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an evil spell
  • Similar words include: enchant, glamour, curse
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEX

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42D: "66. Lead-in to bones or bucks"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
  • Similar words include: get wind, view, fancy
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAW

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43D: "68. Sunbeam"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a column of light (as from a beacon)
  • Similar words include: beam of light, shaft, irradiate
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAY

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44D: "70. Abandons a project, slangily"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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45D: "75. "Oy!""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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46D: "77. Forwarded"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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47D: "79. Full of tall tales"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
  • Similar words include: fabrication, lie, lie down
  • Opposite of: arise, stand
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LYING

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48D: "80. It's better than a bogey"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (golf) the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course
  • Similar words include: equivalence, equality, equation
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAR

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49D: "83. Team lineup"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a list of names
  • Similar words include: roll
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSTER

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50D: "86. Like most modern TV broadcasts"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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51D: "89. "Money-back guarantee" and "Limited-time offer""

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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52D: "90. Self-referential"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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53D: "92. Conductor Georg"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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54D: "93. Snaky double curve"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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55D: "94. Really irritated"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that become or make sore by or as if by rubbing
  • Similar words include: annoy, galled, get at
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAFED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56D: "95. Main lines"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the large trunk artery that carries blood from the left ventricle of the heart to branch arteries
  • Similar words include: aorta
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AORTAS

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57D: "96. Full"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that uncastrated adult male horse
  • Similar words include: total, full, intact
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENTIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58D: "97. Australian city named for a scientist"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that english natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
  • Similar words include: Charles Robert Darwin, Charles Darwin
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DARWIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59D: "100. Closely following"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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60D: "101. Gambler's combo bet"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a series of wagers in which the winnings from one wager are used as a stake for the subsequent wagers
  • Similar words include: double up
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARLAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61D: "102. Waves sought by surfers"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
  • Similar words include: dude, fop, crestless wave
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWELLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62D: "104. Five Pillars religion"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the civilization of muslims collectively which is governed by the muslim religion
  • Similar words include: Muhammadanism, Muslimism, Mohammedanism
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISLAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63D: "105. "Spider-Man" director Sam"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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64D: "107. Stitcher's line"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
  • Similar words include: wrinkle, furrow, crinkle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65D: "111. Tee time or airtime, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a position in a grammatical linguistic construction in which a variety of alternative units are interchangeable
  • Similar words include: expansion slot, time slot, one-armed bandit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOT

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66D: "112. Sorts"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a kind of person
  • Similar words include: ilk, like
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ILKS

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67D: "113. Corner key"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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68D: "115. Toll"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
  • Similar words include: tip, bung
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEE

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69D: "117. Bucket list item?"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors
  • Similar words include: swob, pout, mop up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOP

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

71 Across Clues
69 Down Clues
140 Total Clues

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Last updated: May 31, 2026 at 07:09 AM