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Tuesday, August 4, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 04, 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. "Handy" kitchen item 4
2A 5. Smears with goo 6
3A 11. Music genre with offbeat rhythms 3
4A 14. So-called "servebot" in tennis, essentially 4
5A 15. Action on the front lines 6
6A 16. Hunk of cash 3
7A 17. Words uttered while sorting potential gowns for an Indian wedding? 11
8A 19. Word aptly hidden in "moldy" 3
9A 20. Some marksmen 7
10A 21. Stringed instruments of old 5
11A 23. Inc. alternative 3
12A 24. Kind of whale 6
13A 27. Wedding feast delivery from India's capital? 13
14A 31. Unwelcome responsibility 4
15A 33. Rawboned 5
16A 34. "Deadline" for a rush order 3
17A 35. Bit of tailoring 3
18A 36. Writer Rand 3
19A 38. Great Leap Forward leader 3
20A 39. Longoria with three Screen Actors Guild awards 3
21A 40. Celestial sphere 3
22A 41. Hold power, as a ruler 5
23A 43. "You said it!" 4
24A 44. Tying the knot during a colorful Hindu festival? 13
25A 48. One who makes a lasting impression while just scratching the surface 6
26A 49. Part of NATO: Abbr. 3
27A 50. When repeated, "You get the gist" 5
28A 52. Enter furtively 7
29A 56. Mysterious sight at night 3
30A 57. "Esteemed reception guests, we regret to report that we've run out of flatbread," e.g.? 11
31A 61. Scratch the surface of, say 3
32A 62. Like the physicist Niels Bohr and the astronomer Tycho Brahe 6
33A 63. Stock market unveilings, for short 4
34A 64. "___ you done?" 3
35A 65. Luxury transports 6
36A 66. Common workout target 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. "Handy" kitchen item"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
  • Similar words include: baseball glove, hand, paw
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MITT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Smears with goo"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any thick, viscous matter
  • Similar words include: slime, reduce, goo
  • Opposite of: gain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLIMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Music genre with offbeat rhythms"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. So-called "servebot" in tennis, essentially"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Action on the front lines"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an engagement fought between two military forces
  • Similar words include: fight, fighting, armed combat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMBAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Hunk of cash"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small mass of soft material
  • Similar words include: mass, slew, pot
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Words uttered while sorting potential gowns for an Indian wedding?"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Word aptly hidden in "moldy""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
  • Similar words include: honest-to-goodness, sometime, one-time
  • Opposite of: young, new
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Some marksmen"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a marksman who shoots at people from a concealed place
  • Similar words include: sniper
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNIPERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Stringed instruments of old"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a harp used by ancient greeks for accompaniment
  • Similar words include: lyre
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LYRES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Inc. alternative"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Kind of whale"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets
  • Similar words include: whalebone
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BALEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Wedding feast delivery from India's capital?"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Unwelcome responsibility"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an onerous or difficult concern
  • Similar words include: incumbrance, load, burden
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Rawboned"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
  • Similar words include: cadaverous, haggard, emaciated
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. "Deadline" for a rush order"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the momentary present
  • Similar words include: at once, straight off, forthwith
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. Bit of tailoring"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. Writer Rand"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Great Leap Forward leader"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of many body compounds (e.g., epinephrine and norepinephrine and serotonin)
  • Similar words include: Mao Tsetung, monoamine oxidase, Mao Zedong
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Longoria with three Screen Actors Guild awards"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Celestial sphere"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye
  • Similar words include: orbit, globe, eyeball
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. Hold power, as a ruler"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful
  • Similar words include: prevail, predominate, sovereignty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REIGN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "43. "You said it!""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a primeval egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at thebes
  • Similar words include: Amon, Amun
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Tying the knot during a colorful Hindu festival?"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "48. One who makes a lasting impression while just scratching the surface"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "49. Part of NATO: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. When repeated, "You get the gist""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Enter furtively"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "56. Mysterious sight at night"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an (apparently) flying object whose nature is unknown; especially those considered to have extraterrestrial origins
  • Similar words include: flying saucer, unidentified flying object
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UFO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "57. "Esteemed reception guests, we regret to report that we've run out of flatbread," e.g.?"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "61. Scratch the surface of, say"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the month following february and preceding april
  • Similar words include: spoil, vitiate, defect
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. Like the physicist Niels Bohr and the astronomer Tycho Brahe"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a scandinavian language that is the official language of denmark
  • Similar words include: danish pastry
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DANISH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Stock market unveilings, for short"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a corporation's first offer to sell stock to the public
  • Similar words include: initial offering, initial public offering, IPO
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IPOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. "___ you done?""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "65. Luxury transports"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
  • Similar words include: racing yacht, yacht
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YACHTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "66. Common workout target"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small group of indispensable persons or things
  • Similar words include: nitty-gritty, pith, substance
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. The "m" in many a physics equation 4
2D 2. Self-assured words 4
3D 3. Actress Polo 4
4D 4. Toughest hits to get when hitting for the cycle in baseball 7
5D 5. Sear 6
6D 6. "___ of luck!" 4
7D 7. Quick communications, in brief 3
8D 8. Postgraduate deg. with management courses 3
9D 9. Musician's asset 3
10D 10. Stylish shoe feature 8
11D 11. Someone you will never stop despising 10
12D 12. Green smoothie staple 4
13D 13. Tosses in 4
14D 18. "Little" Dickens girl 4
15D 22. Up to this point 3
16D 24. ___-free (plastics label) 3
17D 25. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler vis-à-vis "Saturday Night Live" 6
18D 26. Singer ___ Del Rey 4
19D 27. Longtime Hogwarts headmaster 10
20D 28. Set aflame 6
21D 29. Wander 4
22D 30. Graceful bird 4
23D 31. "Pick me! Pick me!" 4
24D 32. Infamous Roman ruler 4
25D 36. Attractive plus-one 8
26D 37. "You said it!" 4
27D 42. Canine warning 3
28D 43. Like a cherub 7
29D 45. "___ be a real honor" 3
30D 46. Transforms 6
31D 47. Cookie with an "enrobed" variety in the U.K. 4
32D 50. Arizona city or county 4
33D 51. At a distance 4
34D 52. Film information on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes 4
35D 53. Cops, in slang 4
36D 54. Iconic lab assistant of film 4
37D 55. Where Anheuser-Busch is "BUD" 4
38D 58. Battery for a mouse 3
39D 59. Anti-apartheid org. 3
40D 60. U.S. medical research agcy. 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. The "m" in many a physics equation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
  • Similar words include: slew, pot, lot
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Self-assured words"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Actress Polo"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Toughest hits to get when hitting for the cycle in baseball"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a base hit at which the batter stops safely at third base
  • Similar words include: trio, three-bagger, treble
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRIPLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Sear"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a surface burn
  • Similar words include: char, blacken, sear
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCORCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. "___ of luck!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large number or amount
  • Similar words include: mass, slew, circle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Quick communications, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Postgraduate deg. with management courses"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a master's degree in business
  • Similar words include: Master in Business Administration, Master in Business
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MBA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Musician's asset"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Stylish shoe feature"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small dagger with a tapered blade
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STILETTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Someone you will never stop despising"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Green smoothie staple"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal terms for money
  • Similar words include: dinero, boodle, Brassica oleracea acephala
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Tosses in"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
  • Similar words include: hyperkinetic syndrome, MBD, add up
  • Opposite of: take away, subtract
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. "Little" Dickens girl"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Up to this point"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. ___-free (plastics label)"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler vis-à-vis "Saturday Night Live""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university)
  • Similar words include: alum, grad, alumnus
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALUMNI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Singer ___ Del Rey"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Longtime Hogwarts headmaster"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. Set aflame"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat
  • Similar words include: take fire, inflame, combust
  • Opposite of: extinguish
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IGNITE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "29. Wander"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
  • Similar words include: roam, ramble, swan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. Graceful bird"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
  • Similar words include: roam, ramble, avow
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "31. "Pick me! Pick me!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "32. Infamous Roman ruler"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roman emperor notorious for his monstrous vice and fantastic luxury (was said to have started a fire that destroyed much of rome in 64) but the roman empire remained prosperous during his rule (37-68)
  • Similar words include: Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NERO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "36. Attractive plus-one"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. "You said it!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not only so, but
  • Similar words include: yea
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Canine warning"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Like a cherub"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that marked by utter benignity; resembling or befitting an angel or saint
  • Similar words include: saintlike, saintly, cherubic
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANGELIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. "___ be a real honor""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Transforms"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to change shape in a computer animation
  • Similar words include: morph
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORPHS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Cookie with an "enrobed" variety in the U.K."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that chocolate cookie with white cream filling
  • Similar words include: oreo cookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Arizona city or county"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the north american indian people of arizona and adjacent mexico and california
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YUMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. At a distance"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old-fashioned) at or from or to a great distance; far
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Film information on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the actors in a play
  • Similar words include: cat, ramble, throw up
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. Cops, in slang"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "54. Iconic lab assistant of film"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "55. Where Anheuser-Busch is "BUD""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a stock exchange in new york
  • Similar words include: big board, N. Y. Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NYSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Battery for a mouse"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta associated with old age and hypertension
  • Similar words include: abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AAA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Anti-apartheid org."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. U.S. medical research agcy."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency in the department of health and human services whose mission is to employ science in the pursuit of knowledge to improve human health; is the principal biomedical research agency of the federal government
  • Similar words include: National Institutes of Health
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIH

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

36 Across Clues
40 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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

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

Last updated: August 04, 2026 at 06:07 AM

Thursday, May 14, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 14, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging

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. Cliff formed by a fault 5
2A 6. Avoided a tag, say 4
3A 10. Penultimate Greek letter 3
4A 13. "My fault entirely" 5
5A 14. Taste perception first identified in 1908 5
6A 15. Physics unit named for a physicist 3
7A 16. Feature that debuted on Page 1 of The New York Times in 1997 11
8A 18. Confucian "way" 3
9A 19. Prime breeding environment for mosquitoes 13
10A 20. Impression on some fancy sheets 9
11A 22. Puente of "The Mambo Kings" 4
12A 23. Traveled path 5
13A 24. At sea, say 10
14A 27. Powerful fireboat gear 12
15A 30. Rationalist's theology 5
16A 31. Decree 4
17A 32. Part of an analogy 4
18A 33. "___'s da breaks!" 3
19A 34. Lovestruck 7
20A 37. Flesh and blood 3
21A 38. Biblical locale guarded by a flaming sword 4
22A 40. Direction to bow, in music 4
23A 41. Squeezing (out) 5
24A 43. Gets bloated, say 12
25A 45. Pair for a pool 10
26A 46. Ruthless Athenian lawgiver 5
27A 47. Tidy up, in a way 4
28A 48. What collects in a puddle 9
29A 49. Things often getting free refills 13
30A 54. Simile segment 3
31A 55. Broadcasting giant with hundreds of stations 11
32A 57. ___ Friday 3
33A 58. Origin of the words "sky" and "scrape" 5
34A 59. Heather genus that's also a woman's name 5
35A 60. Good periods 3
36A 61. Former small-sized G.M. cars 4
37A 62. Compound with a caret-shaped molecule, as depicted by this puzzle's circled letters 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Cliff formed by a fault"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long steep slope or cliff at the edge of a plateau or ridge; usually formed by erosion
  • Similar words include: escarp, protective embankment, escarpment
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCARP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Avoided a tag, say"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
  • Similar words include: skid, slue, slither
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Penultimate Greek letter"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of pressure
  • Similar words include: pounds per square inch
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PSI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. "My fault entirely""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. Taste perception first identified in 1908"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "15. Physics unit named for a physicist"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of electrical resistance equal to the resistance between two points on a conductor when a potential difference of one volt between them produces a current of one ampere
  • Similar words include: Georg Simon Ohm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OHM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "16. Feature that debuted on Page 1 of The New York Times in 1997"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Confucian "way""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an adherent of any branch of taoism
  • Similar words include: Taoist
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Prime breeding environment for mosquitoes"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Impression on some fancy sheets"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a line marking the level reached by a body of water
  • Similar words include: water line
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WATERMARK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Puente of "The Mambo Kings""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that yugoslav statesman who led the resistance to german occupation during world war ii and established a communist state after the war (1892-1980)
  • Similar words include: Marshal Tito, Josip Broz
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TITO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Traveled path"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an established line of travel or access
  • Similar words include: path, road, itinerary
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROUTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. At sea, say"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. Powerful fireboat gear"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hose (carried on a truck) that fires water under high pressure to disperse crowds (especially crowds of rioters)
  • Similar words include: watercannon, water cannon
  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WATERCANNONS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Rationalist's theology"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the form of theological rationalism that believes in god on the basis of reason without reference to revelation
  • Similar words include: free thought
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEISM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Decree"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge)
  • Similar words include: decree, rescript, edict
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. Part of an analogy"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. "___'s da breaks!""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. Lovestruck"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that inflict a heavy blow on, with the hand, a tool, or a weapon
  • Similar words include: soft on, infatuated, potty
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMITTEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "37. Flesh and blood"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person having kinship with another or others
  • Similar words include: kin group, family, cognate
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. Biblical locale guarded by a flaming sword"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
  • Similar words include: Shangri-la, promised land, heaven
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. Direction to bow, in music"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of instruments in the violin family) to be played with the bow
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Squeezing (out)"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "43. Gets bloated, say"

12 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "45. Pair for a pool"

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "46. Ruthless Athenian lawgiver"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that athenian lawmaker whose code of laws prescribed death for almost every offense (circa 7th century bc)
  • Similar words include: Dragon, genus Draco
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRACO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "47. Tidy up, in a way"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fine powdery material such as dry earth or pollen that can be blown about in the air
  • Similar words include: sprinkle, debris, detritus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DUST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "48. What collects in a puddle"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds
  • Similar words include: rain
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAINWATER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "49. Things often getting free refills"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "54. Simile segment"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "55. Broadcasting giant with hundreds of stations"

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "57. ___ Friday"

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!

33A: "58. Origin of the words "sky" and "scrape""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inhabitant of scandinavia
  • Similar words include: North Germanic, Scandinavian, Northman
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NORSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "59. Heather genus that's also a woman's name"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any plant of the genus erica
  • Similar words include: true heath
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERICA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "60. Good periods"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "61. Former small-sized G.M. cars"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "62. Compound with a caret-shaped molecule, as depicted by this puzzle's circled letters"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
  • Similar words include: H2O, water system, water supply
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WATER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Anatomical containers 4
2D 2. Thicken 4
3D 3. Palindrome on an Italian restaurant menu 4
4D 4. September to April, in the oyster industry 7
5D 5. Alternatives to hourly wages 8
6D 6. Ecological concern 4
7D 7. Trellis piece 4
8D 8. "If u ask me" 3
9D 9. Gossip about, informally 6
10D 10. A peeling that's appealing? 10
11D 11. Prolifically posting about one's kids online, in a neologism 10
12D 12. Reassuring reply 4
13D 14. "That ... ain't it" 4
14D 17. Essence 4
15D 21. Certain tax-free bond, informally 4
16D 23. Velocity, e.g. 4
17D 24. Relatively unusual 5
18D 25. Had to have right away 10
19D 26. Races against the clock 10
20D 27. Travel by pick-up? 5
21D 28. "The Elder" or "The Younger" Roman 4
22D 29. Strains to hear? 5
23D 31. Hemlock relatives 4
24D 35. Hand, at a hacienda 4
25D 36. Group with a satellite truck 8
26D 39. Palindrome on an Indian restaurant menu 4
27D 42. Seven-stringed instrument that gave the guitar its name 7
28D 44. Ancient book of divination 6
29D 45. Member of a sluglike "Star Wars" species 4
30D 47. Presaging disaster 4
31D 48. Meaty pasta sauce 4
32D 49. Long lunch? 4
33D 50. Get ahead of 4
34D 51. Cut and paste, e.g. 4
35D 52. Force through a food mill 4
36D 53. Go way up 4
37D 56. Uprooting tool 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Anatomical containers"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an enclosed space
  • Similar words include: pocket, Sauk, sac
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SACS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Thicken"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid
  • Similar words include: clog, clabber, coagulate
  • Opposite of: homogenize
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Palindrome on an Italian restaurant menu"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. September to April, in the oyster industry"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Alternatives to hourly wages"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Ecological concern"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Trellis piece"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a narrow thin strip of wood used as backing for plaster or to make latticework
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LATH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. "If u ask me""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the united nations agency concerned with international maritime activities
  • Similar words include: International Maritime Organization
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Gossip about, informally"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. A peeling that's appealing?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Prolifically posting about one's kids online, in a neologism"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Reassuring reply"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. "That ... ain't it""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "17. Essence"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants
  • Similar words include: gist, nitty-gritty, marrow
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PITH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Certain tax-free bond, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Velocity, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
  • Similar words include: value, pace, place
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Relatively unusual"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not divisible by two
  • Similar words include: left, leftover, rum
  • Opposite of: even
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODDER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "25. Had to have right away"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "26. Races against the clock"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "27. Travel by pick-up?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period of time spent in military service
  • Similar words include: thumb, encumbrance, limp
  • Opposite of: unhitch
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HITCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "28. "The Elder" or "The Younger" Roman"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "29. Strains to hear?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short musical composition with words
  • Similar words include: song, Sung, vocal
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SONGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "31. Hemlock relatives"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nonresinous wood of a fir tree
  • Similar words include: true fir, fir, fir tree
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Hand, at a hacienda"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "36. Group with a satellite truck"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Palindrome on an Indian restaurant menu"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that leavened bread baked in a clay oven in india; usually shaped like a teardrop
  • Similar words include: nan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Seven-stringed instrument that gave the guitar its name"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Ancient book of divination"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Member of a sluglike "Star Wars" species"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Presaging disaster"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless; ; - g.c.marshall
  • Similar words include: horrific, dreadful, terrible
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. Meaty pasta sauce"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Long lunch?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
  • Similar words include: sub, zep, grinder
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HERO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Get ahead of"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls
  • Similar words include: flip, take place, occur
  • Opposite of: be born, fail
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Cut and paste, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting
  • Similar words include: delete, edit out, blue-pencil
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Force through a food mill"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
  • Similar words include: Timothy Miles Bindon Rice, Elmer Leopold Rice, Elmer Rice
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RICE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "53. Go way up"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of rising upward into the air
  • Similar words include: soar upwards, sailplane, surge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Uprooting tool"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tool with a flat blade attached at right angles to a long handle
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOE

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
37 Down Clues
74 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: May 14, 2026 at 06:36 AM