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Friday, October 16, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 16, 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. Word with strip or skirt 5
2A 6. Conniption 3
3A 9. Cuban poet/philosopher JosΓ© 5
4A 14. 2000 hit song with the lyric "But to lose all my senses / That is just so typically me" 15
5A 17. Mail-centric fiction? 15
6A 18. Virginia is in it, in brief 3
7A 19. "Hah!" 7
8A 20. "___ had it!" 3
9A 21. Former home of Mr. and Mrs. Met 4
10A 23. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" spinoff 5
11A 24. Riot 4
12A 25. Spiller of tea 5
13A 27. Smelling things? 5
14A 28. Date night viewing, often 13
15A 34. High concept? 9
16A 35. They explain what's in the cards 13
17A 39. Comic strip sound of impact 5
18A 40. Infant discomfort 5
19A 42. Battery-powered string instrument player 4
20A 43. Predicated 5
21A 48. It has its highs and lows 4
22A 49. Rocky openings? 3
23A 50. Burrowing animal whose name is made up of two other animals 7
24A 52. It may begin with a +1: Abbr. 3
25A 53. Idolizes 15
26A 56. Indiana Jones or Rocky Balboa, e.g. 15
27A 57. Losing causes? 5
28A 58. Yoga ___ 3
29A 59. The 22nd Amendment limits them 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Word with strip or skirt"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slice of meat cut from the fleshy part of an animal or large fish
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Conniption"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a display of bad temper
  • Similar words include: meet, gibe, jibe
  • Opposite of: unfit, disagree
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Cuban poet/philosopher JosΓ©"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cuban poet and revolutionary who fought for cuban independence from spain (1853-1895)
  • Similar words include: Jose Julian Marti
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARTI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. 2000 hit song with the lyric "But to lose all my senses / That is just so typically me""

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. Mail-centric fiction?"

15 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. Virginia is in it, in brief"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a command that is the primary provider of air combat weapon systems to the united states air force; operates fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, battle-management, and rescue aircraft
  • Similar words include: Air Combat Command
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. "Hah!""

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. "___ had it!""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Former home of Mr. and Mrs. Met"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" spinoff"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Riot"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud raucous cry (as of an owl)
  • Similar words include: boo, darn, razz
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Spiller of tea"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (yiddish) a vulgar shrew; a shallow coarse termagant
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YENTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Smelling things?"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
  • Similar words include: common salt, salt, table salt
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Date night viewing, often"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEELGOODMOVIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "34. High concept?"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. They explain what's in the cards"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAROTREADINGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "39. Comic strip sound of impact"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "40. Infant discomfort"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that acute abdominal pain (especially in infants)
  • Similar words include: intestinal colic, gripes, griping
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COLIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "42. Battery-powered string instrument player"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "43. Predicated"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that use as a basis for; found on
  • Similar words include: free-base, found, establish
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "48. It has its highs and lows"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
  • Similar words include: lunar time period, surge
  • Opposite of: ebb
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "49. Rocky openings?"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "50. Burrowing animal whose name is made up of two other animals"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "52. It may begin with a +1: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "53. Idolizes"

15 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "56. Indiana Jones or Rocky Balboa, e.g."

15 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "57. Losing causes?"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a prescribed selection of foods
  • Similar words include: dieting, diet
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "58. Yoga ___"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
  • Similar words include: snarl, lustrelessness, matting
  • Opposite of: unsnarl, disentangle
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "59. The 22nd Amendment limits them"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that status with respect to the relations between people or groups
  • Similar words include: full term, price, damage
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TERMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. "Piece of cake!" 6
2D 2. Reality show whose contestants report to the Judge's Table 7
3D 3. Not gendered 7
4D 4. Dope 3
5D 5. Some emergency resources 4
6D 6. Serious dirt 5
7D 7. State whose official fruit is the huckleberry 5
8D 8. Done to death 5
9D 9. Flow down the neck 4
10D 10. Past word 3
11D 11. Hot pockets? 7
12D 12. 20-20, e.g. 7
13D 13. Small sounds 6
14D 15. One of 412 in the White House 4
15D 16. Supermodel Banks 4
16D 22. Took back one's words 7
17D 24. One struggling to make ends meet 7
18D 26. Grant 5
19D 27. Foe of Dr. Eggman, in video games 5
20D 29. Procured 3
21D 30. "___ Share of Night" (acclaimed 2019 Mariana EnrΓ­quez book) 3
22D 31. Complimentary lines 3
23D 32. Tool for tracing family trees 3
24D 33. Prefix with the name of any month 3
25D 35. Mideast salad, in one spelling 7
26D 36. Simon the Zealot, e.g. 7
27D 37. Sparkly bits in a school art project 7
28D 38. Like some deliveries 7
29D 39. Holder of all the digits, from 1 to 0 6
30D 41. Stage-left orchestra section 6
31D 43. Coccyx or phalange, e.g. 4
32D 44. Unwelcome sound during a dream 5
33D 45. Brown tint 5
34D 46. Construct 5
35D 47. Art movement proclaimed in a 1916 manifesto 4
36D 50. May honorees 4
37D 51. Outdoor item with flaps 4
38D 54. Took a load off 3
39D 55. 2011 platinum single by Tyler, the Creator 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. "Piece of cake!""

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Reality show whose contestants report to the Judge's Table"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Not gendered"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one having both male and female sexual characteristics and organs; at birth an unambiguous assignment of male or female cannot be made
  • Similar words include: bisexual, sissy, epicene person
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPICENE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Dope"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Some emergency resources"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a case for containing a set of articles
  • Similar words include: outfit, kit up, kit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Serious dirt"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any substance considered disgustingly foul or unpleasant
  • Similar words include: soil, dirt, dirty word
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FILTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. State whose official fruit is the huckleberry"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in the rocky mountains
  • Similar words include: ID, Gem State
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDAHO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Done to death"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lose interest or become bored with something or somebody
  • Similar words include: well-worn, exhaust, outwear
  • Opposite of: interest, refresh
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIRED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Flow down the neck"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck
  • Similar words include: head of hair
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Past word"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

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!

11D: "11. Hot pockets?"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small circular or square cases of dough with savory fillings
  • Similar words include: cappelletti
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAVIOLI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. 20-20, e.g."

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Small sounds"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)
  • Similar words include: intake, recess, inlet
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INLETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. One of 412 in the White House"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
  • Similar words include: doorway, room access, threshold
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "16. Supermodel Banks"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "22. Took back one's words"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. One struggling to make ends meet"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Grant"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
  • Similar words include: earmark, let, set aside
  • Opposite of: forbid, prevent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALLOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Foe of Dr. Eggman, in video games"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of speed) having or caused by speed approximately equal to that of sound in air at sea level
  • Similar words include: transonic
  • Opposite of: subsonic
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SONIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Procured"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
  • Similar words include: flummox, drive, aim
  • Opposite of: leave, take away
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. "___ Share of Night" (acclaimed 2019 Mariana EnrΓ­quez book)"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. Complimentary lines"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

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!

23D: "32. Tool for tracing family trees"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

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: deoxyribonucleic acid, desoxyribonucleic acid
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "33. Prefix with the name of any month"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that used in combination to denote the middle
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Mideast salad, in one spelling"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "36. Simon the Zealot, e.g."

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform
  • Similar words include: Apostelic Father
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APOSTLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "37. Sparkly bits in a school art project"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the quality of shining with a bright reflected light
  • Similar words include: coruscation, scintillation, glisten
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GLITTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "38. Like some deliveries"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of pitches) made with the arm moving parallel to the ground
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIDEARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "39. Holder of all the digits, from 1 to 0"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a keyboard that is a data input device for computers; arrangement of keys is modelled after the typewriter keyboard
  • Similar words include: computer keyboard
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEYPAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "41. Stage-left orchestra section"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large stringed instrument; seated player holds it upright while playing
  • Similar words include: violoncello, cello
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CELLOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "43. Coccyx or phalange, e.g."

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
  • Similar words include: swot, swot up, ivory
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "44. Unwelcome sound during a dream"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fear resulting from the awareness of danger
  • Similar words include: warning device, appal, appall
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "45. Brown tint"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shade of brown with a tinge of red
  • Similar words include: mahogany, genus Sepia, Venetian red
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEPIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "46. Construct"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that construct, build, or erect
  • Similar words include: set up, raise, vertical
  • Opposite of: unerect, level
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERECT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "47. Art movement proclaimed in a 1916 manifesto"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
  • Similar words include: pa, pop, daddy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DADA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "50. May honorees"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal terms for a mother
  • Similar words include: mommy, mammy, mummy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "51. Outdoor item with flaps"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
  • Similar words include: collapsible shelter, bivouac, encamp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "54. Took a load off"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the sabbath by jews and some christians
  • Similar words include: posture, sit, Saturday
  • Opposite of: arise, stand
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "55. 2011 platinum single by Tyler, the Creator"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

29 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
68 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: October 16, 2026 at 08:20 AM

Saturday, October 10, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 10, 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. Artist whose first two initials stand for "Maurits Cornelis" 6
2A 7. Get to know a little better, say 8
3A 15. Kind 6
4A 16. "Not today, Satan!" 8
5A 17. Like Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear 6
6A 18. Place where it's a hoot to raise a family? 8
7A 19. Part of a swearing-in ceremony 4
8A 20. Peak overlooking the Grindelwald Valley 5
9A 22. Do a bad job of helping? 4
10A 23. Frito ___ (Tex-Mex dish) 3
11A 24. "Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee" 7
12A 26. Office building abbr. 3
13A 27. It's a lot for one person to take 11
14A 30. Was hot (for) 8
15A 31. Likely gonna 5
16A 35. Natives call it Muncibeddu, meaning "mountain of mountains" 4
17A 36. Seattle's W.N.B.A. team 5
18A 39. Be boastful 4
19A 40. Member of the winning 2025 Super Bowl team 5
20A 42. Some 1980s Jane Fonda performances 8
21A 44. Round and round and round? 11
22A 47. Este dΓ­a 3
23A 50. Determine the going price? 7
24A 51. London's ___ Gardens 3
25A 53. "That makes sense now" 4
26A 55. Patches up, in a way 5
27A 56. ___ Dee, lead role on HBO's "Insecure" 4
28A 57. Played by oneself 8
29A 59. Animated character with a signature quiff hairstyle 6
30A 61. Croupier's query 8
31A 62. Hide, in a way, as a communication 6
32A 63. State revenue source 8
33A 64. Became the beneficiary of 6

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Artist whose first two initials stand for "Maurits Cornelis""

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "7. Get to know a little better, say"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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3A: "15. Kind"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an adornment consisting of a strip of a contrasting color or material
  • Similar words include: bar, banding, band
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STRIPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "16. "Not today, Satan!""

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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5A: "17. Like Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
  • Similar words include: tragical
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRAGIC

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6A: "18. Place where it's a hoot to raise a family?"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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7A: "19. Part of a swearing-in ceremony"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
  • Similar words include: curse word, swearing, swearword
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OATH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Peak overlooking the Grindelwald Valley"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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9A: "22. Do a bad job of helping?"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Frito ___ (Tex-Mex dish)"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top
  • Similar words include: Proto-Indo European
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. "Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee""

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with `like' or `as')
  • Similar words include: simile
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIMILES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. Office building abbr."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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13A: "27. It's a lot for one person to take"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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14A: "30. Was hot (for)"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feel the need to drink
  • Similar words include: thirst, starve, hunger
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THIRSTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Likely gonna"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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16A: "35. Natives call it Muncibeddu, meaning "mountain of mountains""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inactive volcano in sicily; last erupted in 1961; the highest volcano in europe (10,500 feet)
  • Similar words include: Mount Etna, bunsen burner, Mt Etna
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Seattle's W.N.B.A. team"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a violent weather condition with winds 64-72 knots (11 on the beaufort scale) and precipitation and thunder and lightning
  • Similar words include: tempest, rage, force
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STORM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "39. Be boastful"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that black birds having a raucous call
  • Similar words include: gloat, brag, Corvus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CROW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. Member of the winning 2025 Super Bowl team"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
  • Similar words include: bird of Jove, double birdie
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EAGLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "42. Some 1980s Jane Fonda performances"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
  • Similar words include: exercise, exercising, physical exercise
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WORKOUTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "44. Round and round and round?"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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22A: "47. Este dΓ­a"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads (especially on canals)
  • Similar words include: lighter, flatboat, barge
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "50. Determine the going price?"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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24A: "51. London's ___ Gardens"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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25A: "53. "That makes sense now""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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26A: "55. Patches up, in a way"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something of little value
  • Similar words include: darn, red cent, shucks
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DARNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "56. ___ Dee, lead role on HBO's "Insecure""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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28A: "57. Played by oneself"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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29A: "59. Animated character with a signature quiff hairstyle"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "61. Croupier's query"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "62. Hide, in a way, as a communication"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that convert information into code
  • Opposite of: decode
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENCODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "63. State revenue source"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "64. Became the beneficiary of"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gather, as of natural products
  • Similar words include: harvest, draw, reap
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REAPED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Legally prohibit 5
2D 2. Kind of student 9
3D 3. In free fall 9
4D 4. Word with grade or school 4
5D 5. Prefix with dermis 3
6D 6. Gate 8
7D 7. Hip-hop's birthplace, colloquially 15
8D 8. "What a pity" 6
9D 9. Sports figure who traditionally wears an orange armband, in brief 6
10D 10. Some Caltech grads: Abbr. 3
11D 11. It's seen near a wrist 4
12D 12. Commoners 5
13D 13. Start 5
14D 14. "Buona ___" (bedtime words in Roma) 5
15D 21. "No more for me, thanks" 5
16D 24. Like a sketchy person 3
17D 25. One-named singer with the 2016 #1 hit "Cheap Thrills" 3
18D 28. Flossing brand 5
19D 29. Walt Disney initially designed it as a utopian city 5
20D 30. Bit of concert merch 3
21D 32. Refueling spot 9
22D 33. Where a wallflower often stands 9
23D 34. Sounds of pain 3
24D 37. Podcaster Joe 5
25D 38. 1980s chart-topping band with a semi-duplicative name 8
26D 41. Camera brand named after a goddess 3
27D 43. Actor Penn 3
28D 45. Struck 6
29D 46. Neighbor of Francia 6
30D 47. Contents of a laugh track 5
31D 48. John who wrote "BUtterfield 8" 5
32D 49. Certain snack cake 5
33D 52. Abated 5
34D 54. Danny who was UNICEF's's first goodwill ambassador 4
35D 56. Peruvian ___ Orchid (dog breed) 4
36D 58. Title of a #1 Rihanna song and #1 SZA album 3
37D 60. Suffix with morph- 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Legally prohibit"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Kind of student"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. In free fall"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Word with grade or school"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lofty level or position or degree
  • Similar words include: high-pitched, richly, mellow
  • Opposite of: low spirits, low
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIGH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Prefix with dermis"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a self-report personality inventory based on hans eysenck's factor analysis of personality which assumes three basic factors (the two most important being extraversion to introversion and neuroticism)
  • Similar words include: Eysenck Personality Inventory
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Gate"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the entire amount of income before any deductions are made
  • Similar words include: acknowledge, receipt, reception
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RECEIPTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Hip-hop's birthplace, colloquially"

15 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. "What a pity""

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Sports figure who traditionally wears an orange armband, in brief"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Some Caltech grads: Abbr."

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication
  • Similar words include: EE, electrical engineering
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. It's seen near a wrist"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the inner and longer of the two bones of the human forearm
  • Similar words include: elbow bone
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ULNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Commoners"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of the common people
  • Similar words include: plebeian, pleb
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLEBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Start"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the beginning or early stages
  • Similar words include: attack, onslaught, onrush
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONSET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. "Buona ___" (bedtime words in Roma)"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. "No more for me, thanks""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Like a sketchy person"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that type genus of the suidae
  • Similar words include: genus Sus
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. One-named singer with the 2016 #1 hit "Cheap Thrills""

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Flossing brand"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Walt Disney initially designed it as a utopian city"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Bit of concert merch"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the starting place for each hole on a golf course
  • Similar words include: tee up, golf tee, teeing ground
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. Refueling spot"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Where a wallflower often stands"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. Sounds of pain"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Podcaster Joe"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. 1980s chart-topping band with a semi-duplicative name"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "41. Camera brand named after a goddess"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) the winged goddess of the dawn in ancient mythology; daughter of hyperion; identified with roman aurora
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. Actor Penn"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "45. Struck"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "46. Neighbor of Francia"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in southern europe on the italian peninsula; was the core of the roman republic and the roman empire between the 4th century bc and the 5th century ad
  • Similar words include: Italy, Italian Republic
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITALIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Contents of a laugh track"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. John who wrote "BUtterfield 8""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Certain snack cake"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a songlike cry in which the voice fluctuates rapidly between the normal voice and falsetto
  • Similar words include: warble, descant
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YODEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Abated"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that grow smaller
  • Similar words include: wan, wane, go down
  • Opposite of: wax
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WANED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "54. Danny who was UNICEF's's first goodwill ambassador"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "56. Peruvian ___ Orchid (dog breed)"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "58. Title of a #1 Rihanna song and #1 SZA album"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "60. Suffix with morph-"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

33 Across Clues
37 Down Clues
70 Total Clues

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Last updated: October 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM