Search Clues

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

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 06, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. What a leaky faucet has 4
2A 5. Hands, informally ... or coverings for hands 5
3A 10. "Not another peep out of you!" 4
4A 14. Classical Persian poet 4
5A 15. Nebraska home of Creighton University 5
6A 16. Between cruise ports, say 4
7A 17. Intl. oil group 4
8A 18. Like streakers 5
9A 19. Deep blue 4
10A 20. Pale and sickly 5
11A 22. Have an "aha" moment about 3
12A 23. Urged (on) 5
13A 24. One of six, supposedly, for a seer 5
14A 25. "___ Were a Rich Man" 3
15A 26. Rear of a boat 5
16A 27. Lifeless 9
17A 30. Who said "Revolutions are the locomotives of history" 4
18A 33. Video game section 5
19A 34. Pen points 4
20A 38. Number on a dating profile 3
21A 39. Gallops into the sunset, say 7
22A 41. "I've seen better" 3
23A 42. Attend without a date 6
24A 44. Sound in polka music 6
25A 46. Strategic disk game played on a vertical board 11
26A 50. Music genre for James Brown 4
27A 51. Device once used with a Blockbuster rental 3
28A 52. Mission-driven grps., often 4
29A 54. "___ you listening?" 3
30A 55. Who said "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" 5
31A 57. May honoree 3
32A 59. Animal with a "mask" 7
33A 62. A step above amateur 7
34A 65. Peeved 7
35A 66. Like italic type 7
36A 67. With 68-Across, posable plaything ... or a verbal hint to each half of 4-, 7- and 10-Down and 46-Across 6
37A 68. See 67-Across 6

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. What a leaky faucet has"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that flowing in drops; the formation and falling of drops of liquid
  • Similar words include: drip mold, dripping, dribble
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Hands, informally ... or coverings for hands"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
  • Similar words include: baseball mitt, manus, glove
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MITTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. "Not another peep out of you!""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Classical Persian poet"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Nebraska home of Creighton University"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the siouan people formerly living in the missouri river valley in northeastern nebraska
  • Similar words include: Maha
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMAHA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Between cruise ports, say"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in the direction of the sea
  • Similar words include: seawards, seaward
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Intl. oil group"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum
  • Similar words include: Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPEC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Like streakers"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that completely unclothed
  • Similar words include: au naturel, bare, defenseless
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAKED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Deep blue"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an organization of military vessels belonging to a country and available for sea warfare
  • Similar words include: US Navy, naval forces, United States Navy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAVY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Pale and sickly"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that having or as if having especially high-pitched spots
  • Similar words include: spiky
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAKY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Have an "aha" moment about"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
  • Similar words include: beget, stimulate, puzzle
  • Opposite of: leave, take away
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Urged (on)"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that throw eggs at
  • Similar words include: egg
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGGED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. One of six, supposedly, for a seer"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general conscious awareness
  • Similar words include: mother wit, signified, horse sense
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "25. "___ Were a Rich Man""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "26. Rear of a boat"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the rear part of a ship
  • Similar words include: behind, keister, grim
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STERN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "27. Lifeless"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that belonging to the class of nouns denoting nonliving things
  • Similar words include: nonliving, non-living, pulseless
  • Opposite of: animate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INANIMATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "30. Who said "Revolutions are the locomotives of history""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states comedian; one of four brothers who made motion pictures together (1901-1979)
  • Similar words include: Julius Marx, Chico, Arthur Marx
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Video game section"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
  • Similar words include: plane, tier, level off
  • Opposite of: raise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEVEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. Pen points"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "38. Number on a dating profile"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "39. Gallops into the sunset, say"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. "I've seen better""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "42. Attend without a date"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Sound in polka music"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Strategic disk game played on a vertical board"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "50. Music genre for James Brown"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of nervous depression
  • Similar words include: cringe, recoil, Casimir Funk
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FUNK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "51. Device once used with a Blockbuster rental"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a magnetic tape recorder for recording (and playing back) tv programs
  • Similar words include: videocassette recorder
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VCR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Mission-driven grps., often"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an organization that is not part of the local or state or federal government
  • Similar words include: NGO, nongovernmental organization
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NGOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "54. "___ you listening?""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters
  • Similar words include: be, embody, ar
  • Opposite of: differ
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. Who said "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth""

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a teacher and prophet born in bethlehem and active in nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for christianity (circa 4 bc - ad 29)
  • Similar words include: Savior, Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JESUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. May honoree"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "59. Animal with a "mask""

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fur of the north american racoon
  • Similar words include: racoon
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RACCOON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "62. A step above amateur"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an athlete who plays for pay on a part-time basis
  • Similar words include: semiprofessional
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEMIPRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "65. Peeved"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "66. Like italic type"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lie obliquely
  • Similar words include: biased, coloured, colored
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLANTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "67. With 68-Across, posable plaything ... or a verbal hint to each half of 4-, 7- and 10-Down and 46-Across"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something done (usually as opposed to something said)
  • Similar words include: carry through, activity, accomplish
  • Opposite of: inactivity, inactiveness
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACTION

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "68. See 67-Across"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
  • Similar words include: project, compute, work out
  • Opposite of: ground
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIGURE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Is released, as an album 5
2D 2. Currency in Mumbai 5
3D 3. Clarifying phrase 5
4D 4. Interception returned for a touchdown 7
5D 5. Start of the workweek: Abbr. 3
6D 6. Saw in one's mind's eye 8
7D 7. Break for a few minutes 8
8D 8. Newspaper in New York, L.A. or Seattle, colloquially 8
9D 9. Bummed out 3
10D 10. Surf with one's toes off the front of the board 7
11D 11. What an electric meter measures 5
12D 12. Cut completely 5
13D 13. Joseph called "Father of the Symphony" 5
14D 21. Coin dated with the year of its country's imperial era 3
15D 23. Latin "is" 3
16D 28. Put in a row 5
17D 29. Unapproachable 5
18D 30. Newsstand purchase, informally 3
19D 31. In the past 3
20D 32. Feline adoption option 9
21D 35. Spur-of-the-moment 9
22D 36. Arthur of "The Golden Girls" 3
23D 37. "Zip it!" 3
24D 39. Place in a hierarchy 4
25D 40. Midnight's opposite 4
26D 43. Suffix in the names of many U.S. cities 3
27D 45. Starbucks keepsake, perhaps 3
28D 47. Hurdles or high jump, e.g. 5
29D 48. Loops in, digitally 3
30D 49. Secure tightly 5
31D 50. Swiss currency 5
32D 53. How you may feel after a workout vis-à-vis before 5
33D 54. Operatic solo 4
34D 55. Become a member of 4
35D 56. Subject of introspection 4
36D 58. Preset camera option 4
37D 60. ___ effect (purported influence of police shows on juries' expectations for forensics) 3
38D 61. Yoko who participated in a bed-in 3
39D 63. ___ tai 3
40D 64. Bank with a lion in its logo 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Is released, as an album"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shape that is spherical and small
  • Similar words include: swing, degenerate, sink
  • Opposite of: sharpen, attend to
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DROPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Currency in Mumbai"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic unit of money in sri lanka; equal to 100 cents
  • Similar words include: Indian rupee, Nepalese rupee, Pakistani rupee
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUPEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Clarifying phrase"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Interception returned for a touchdown"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Start of the workweek: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the second day of the week; the first working day
  • Similar words include: Monday
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Saw in one's mind's eye"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
  • Similar words include: envisage, opine, suppose
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMAGINED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Break for a few minutes"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Newspaper in New York, L.A. or Seattle, colloquially"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Bummed out"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness; ; - christina rossetti
  • Similar words include: pitiful, deplorable, lamentable
  • Opposite of: glad
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Surf with one's toes off the front of the board"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. What an electric meter measures"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of using
  • Similar words include: utilisation, custom, utilization
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Cut completely"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that set or keep apart
  • Similar words include: discerp, lop, break up
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Joseph called "Father of the Symphony""

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prolific austrian composer who influenced the classical form of the symphony (1732-1809)
  • Similar words include: Franz Joseph Haydn, Joseph Haydn
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAYDN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Coin dated with the year of its country's imperial era"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a yearning for something or to do something
  • Similar words include: pine, hankering, yearn
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "23. Latin "is""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "28. Put in a row"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that place in a line or arrange so as to be parallel or straight
  • Similar words include: adjust, coordinate, ordinate
  • Opposite of: skew
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALIGN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "29. Unapproachable"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remote in manner
  • Similar words include: upstage, distant
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALOOF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "30. Newsstand purchase, informally"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
  • Similar words include: magazine
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "31. 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!

20D: "32. Feline adoption option"

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "35. Spur-of-the-moment"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an extemporaneous speech or remark
  • Similar words include: off-the-cuff, extemporary, ad lib
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMPROMPTU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "36. Arthur of "The Golden Girls""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "37. "Zip it!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "39. Place in a hierarchy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
  • Similar words include: social station, glaring, social rank
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RANK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "40. Midnight's opposite"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the middle of the day
  • Similar words include: twelve noon, high noon, noontide
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "43. Suffix in the names of many U.S. cities"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a united states unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds
  • Similar words include: long ton, net ton, short ton
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "45. Starbucks keepsake, perhaps"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the quantity that can be held in a mug
  • Similar words include: smiler, fool, patsy
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MUG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "47. Hurdles or high jump, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that happens at a given place and time
  • Similar words include: consequence, result, outcome
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "48. Loops in, digitally"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. Secure tightly"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (medicine) a bandage consisting of a pad and belt; worn to hold a hernia in place by pressure
  • Similar words include: bind, tie up, tie down
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRUSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Swiss currency"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRANC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "53. How you may feel after a workout vis-à-vis before"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that causing misery or pain or distress
  • Similar words include: painful, mad, sensitive
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SORER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "54. Operatic solo"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an elaborate song for solo voice
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "55. Become a member of"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
  • Similar words include: link, junction, articulation
  • Opposite of: disjoin
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JOIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "56. Subject of introspection"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "58. Preset camera option"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that how something is done or how it happens
  • Similar words include: modal value, manner, musical mode
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "60. ___ effect (purported influence of police shows on juries' expectations for forensics)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "61. Yoko who participated in a bed-in"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states musician (born in japan) who married john lennon and collaborated with him on recordings (born in 1933)
  • Similar words include: Yoko Ono
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "63. ___ tai"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "64. Bank with a lion in its logo"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

37 Across Clues
40 Down Clues
77 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 06, 2026 at 10:34 AM

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 08, 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. Cartographers' concerns 4
2A 5. Go by 6
3A 11. Helpful skill for guessers 3
4A 14. Working obediently 4
5A 15. Mickey with an Oscar nomination for "The Wrestler" 6
6A 16. Champiñones ___ plancha (Spanish dish) 3
7A 17. [C/P]ause 11
8A 19. Droop 3
9A 20. Food mentioned in the Lord's Prayer 5
10A 21. What "Eat" stands for in the mnemonic "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" 4
11A 22. Buzz before a release 4
12A 23. Low-quality synthetic images, informally 6
13A 25. Prepare to drive, in golf 5
14A 27. [L/C]ure 12
15A 32. Result of touching poison ivy 4
16A 35. "The Deer Hunter" setting, in brief 3
17A 36. Old, as a joke 5
18A 37. Casual refusal 3
19A 38. "Way to go, kid!" 7
20A 41. Heir to the throne, maybe 3
21A 42. Like a good explanation, say 5
22A 44. Brain ___ 3
23A 45. Prominent features of tarsiers 4
24A 46. [M/H]inds 12
25A 50. Fitness fad popularized by Billy Blanks 5
26A 51. "Animal Farm" or "The Simpsons" 6
27A 55. Soccer great Mia 4
28A 57. Apartment with a high ceiling 4
29A 60. New beginning 5
30A 61. Pub order 3
31A 62. [Z/R]est 11
32A 64. Magic setting, in brief 3
33A 65. List of things to discuss 6
34A 66. Mother of a stable family? 4
35A 67. ___ pal 3
36A 68. Individual 6
37A 69. Hershey toffee bar 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Cartographers' concerns"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface (or part of it)
  • Similar words include: single-valued function, represent, map
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Go by"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: slip by, go along, pass
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELAPSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Helpful skill for guessers"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Working obediently"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Mickey with an Oscar nomination for "The Wrestler""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Champiñones ___ plancha (Spanish dish)"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. [C/P]ause"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Droop"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Food mentioned in the Lord's Prayer"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
  • Similar words include: clams, staff of life, shekels
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BREAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. What "Eat" stands for in the mnemonic "Never Eat Soggy Waffles""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
  • Similar words include: Orient, due east, E
  • Opposite of: west
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Buzz before a release"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that blatant or sensational promotion
  • Similar words include: ballyhoo, hoopla, plug
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HYPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Low-quality synthetic images, informally"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Prepare to drive, in golf"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. [L/C]ure"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Result of touching poison ivy"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. "The Deer Hunter" setting, in brief"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Old, as a joke"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that urinate, of cattle and horses
  • Similar words include: cold, moth-eaten, dusty
  • Opposite of: fresh
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. Casual refusal"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. "Way to go, kid!""

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Heir to the throne, maybe"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male human offspring
  • Similar words include: Word, Logos, boy
  • Opposite of: daughter, girl
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Like a good explanation, say"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of being free of suspicion
  • Similar words include: clear up, sack, elucidate
  • Opposite of: overcast, unclear
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. Brain ___"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
  • Similar words include: putrefaction, molder, hogwash
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "45. Prominent features of tarsiers"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that opinion or judgment
  • Similar words include: eye, center, heart
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. [M/H]inds"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "50. Fitness fad popularized by Billy Blanks"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. "Animal Farm" or "The Simpsons""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that witty language used to convey insults or scorn; ; ; --jonathan swift
  • Similar words include: caustic remark, sarcasm, irony
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SATIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "55. Soccer great Mia"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "57. Apartment with a high ceiling"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
  • Similar words include: garret, pigeon loft, attic
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "60. New beginning"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that device for resetting instruments or controls
  • Similar words include: readjust
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "61. Pub order"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "62. [Z/R]est"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "64. Magic setting, in brief"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "65. List of things to discuss"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to
  • Similar words include: docket, agendum, schedule
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGENDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "66. Mother of a stable family?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that female equine animal
  • Similar words include: maria, female horse
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "67. ___ pal"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters
  • Similar words include: gallon
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "68. Individual"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a human being
  • Similar words include: mortal, somebody, individual
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PERSON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "69. Hershey toffee bar"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Black ___, nickname for Kobe Bryant 5
2D 2. Company that created Pong 5
3D 3. Fish, roads or weapons that are long and thin 5
4D 4. Sneakiness 7
5D 5. Goof 3
6D 6. Brain or ear part 4
7D 7. Coolness, of a sort 4
8D 8. Magician's cry 6
9D 9. Many a Winter Olympian 6
10D 10. "Holy moley!" 3
11D 11. "No sweat!" 9
12D 12. ___ on the wrist 4
13D 13. Word with home or half 4
14D 18. What cologne may mask 4
15D 22. Injured 4
16D 24. Pub order 4
17D 26. Site for "unique and creative" items 4
18D 28. "Sleep is like a ___: It only comes to you if you ignore it": Gillian Flynn 3
19D 29. Big box store that merged with Sears in 2005 5
20D 30. Sunburn remedy 4
21D 31. X's, sometimes 4
22D 32. Ruler division 4
23D 33. Tall story 4
24D 34. Weekly reward for a strict dieter, maybe 9
25D 38. Keister, in Leicester 4
26D 39. Feathered accessory that won't constrict you 3
27D 40. Singer Redding 4
28D 43. First in a race? 4
29D 45. Regards highly 7
30D 47. Do a favor 6
31D 48. Worker overhead 6
32D 49. Cooking fat 4
33D 52. Chris with the 1991 hit "Wicked Game" 5
34D 53. Cool again, maybe 5
35D 54. Heavens 5
36D 55. Rest like a bat 4
37D 56. Jessica of "Fantastic Four" 4
38D 58. Marshy areas 4
39D 59. Task on a list 4
40D 62. Greatly surpass, as competitors in a race 3
41D 63. Raced 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Black ___, nickname for Kobe Bryant"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that arboreal snake of central and southern africa whose bite is often fatal
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAMBA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Company that created Pong"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Fish, roads or weapons that are long and thin"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
  • Similar words include: freeway, thruway, motorway
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIKES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Sneakiness"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that avoiding detection by moving carefully
  • Similar words include: stealing
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEALTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Goof"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Brain or ear part"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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!

7D: "7. Coolness, of a sort"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure
  • Similar words include: gloriole, halo, atmosphere
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Magician's cry"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of tempo) very fast
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRESTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Many a Winter Olympian"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who skates
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKATER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. "Holy moley!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "No sweat!""

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. ___ on the wrist"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a blow from a flat object (as an open hand)
  • Similar words include: bang, smack, smacking
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Word with home or half"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
  • Similar words include: Thomas Nelson Page, Sir Frederick Handley Page, varlet
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. What cologne may mask"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any property detected by the olfactory system
  • Similar words include: olfactory perception, smell, olfactory sensation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Injured"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
  • Similar words include: injury, ache, smart
  • Opposite of: be well
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HURT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Pub order"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a british imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 gills or 568.26 cubic centimeters
  • Similar words include: dry pint
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PINT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Site for "unique and creative" items"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. "Sleep is like a ___: It only comes to you if you ignore it": Gillian Flynn"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
  • Similar words include: Caterpillar, cast, honk
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Big box store that merged with Sears in 2005"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Sunburn remedy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. X's, sometimes"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
  • Similar words include: ten, X, decade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Ruler division"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
  • Similar words include: in, column inch, edge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Tall story"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
  • Similar words include: fib, tarradiddle, narration
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Weekly reward for a strict dieter, maybe"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Keister, in Leicester"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: rear end, buns, prat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Feathered accessory that won't constrict you"

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!

27D: "40. Singer Redding"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states inventor who manufactured the first elevator with a safety device (1811-1861)
  • Similar words include: genus Otis, Elisha Graves Otis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OTIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. First in a race?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old testament) in judeo-christian mythology; the first man and the husband of eve and the progenitor of the human race
  • Similar words include: XTC, X, cristal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Regards highly"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)
  • Similar words include: look upon, repute, think of
  • Opposite of: disrespect, disesteem
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESTEEMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Do a favor"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that force somebody to do something
  • Similar words include: bind, accommodate, obligate
  • Opposite of: disoblige
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBLIGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. Worker overhead"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a craftsman who lays or repairs roofs
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROOFER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Cooking fat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that soft white semisolid fat obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of the hog
  • Similar words include: dramatize, pad, embroider
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LARD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Chris with the 1991 hit "Wicked Game""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Cool again, maybe"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fashion reminiscent of the past
  • Similar words include: retroactive, ex post facto
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RETRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Heavens"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies
  • Similar words include: aether, vinyl ether, divinyl ether
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. Rest like a bat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a special way of doing something
  • Similar words include: bent, fall, cling
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HANG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Jessica of "Fantastic Four""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Marshy areas"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Task on a list"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "62. Greatly surpass, as competitors in a race"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the upper side of the thighs of a seated person
  • Similar words include: overlap, wash, swosh
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "63. Raced"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
  • Similar words include: incline, hightail it, pass
  • Opposite of: idle, malfunction
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

37 Across Clues
41 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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: July 08, 2026 at 06:10 AM