Search Clues

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

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers September 01, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Moderate

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Fill the role of 5
2A 6. Informed 4
3A 10. River in which baby Moses was found 4
4A 14. Comedians' event 5
5A 15. Sword with a bowl-shaped guard 4
6A 16. Burden to bear 4
7A 17. https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil? 10
8A 19. "Ism" that might result from a schism 4
9A 20. Conditionally released 8
10A 21. Tropical fruit with black seeds 6
11A 23. Some N.F.L. blockers: Abbr. 3
12A 24. Org. for Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova 3
13A 25. Noted magnate on the Titanic 5
14A 26. https://www.hot-dog.org? 11
15A 29. Risky bets 6
16A 32. Convened 3
17A 33. Shakespearean father of three 4
18A 35. Dings on a car 5
19A 36. Out of patience, with "up" 3
20A 37. Green sauce 5
21A 38. Prone to throwing caution to the wind 4
22A 39. Unfavorable review 3
23A 40. Split, as the Red Sea 6
24A 41. https://www.zillow.com? 11
25A 44. Plants that have been around on Earth for 375+ million years 5
26A 45. O'Hare posting, for short 3
27A 46. "My guy!" 3
28A 49. Dabble in 6
29A 51. Psychedelic experience 8
30A 53. Like Javan rhinos 4
31A 54. https://www.congress.gov? 10
32A 56. Ilhan in Congress 4
33A 57. Bad to the bone 4
34A 58. "Not gonna happen!" 5
35A 59. Pickle 4
36A 60. Secluded valley 4
37A 61. Writer ___ Rogers St. Johns 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Fill the role of"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Informed"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that express in words
  • Similar words include: distinguish, tell apart, enjoin
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOLD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. River in which baby Moses was found"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the world's longest river (4150 miles); flows northward through eastern africa into the mediterranean; the nile river valley in egypt was the site of the world's first great civilization
  • Similar words include: Nile River
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NILE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Comedians' event"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a piece of meat roasted or for roasting and of a size for slicing into more than one portion
  • Similar words include: blackguard, laugh at, jest at
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Sword with a bowl-shaped guard"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fencing sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Burden to bear"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil?"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. "Ism" that might result from a schism"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a subdivision of a larger religious group
  • Similar words include: faction, religious sect, religious order
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SECT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Conditionally released"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Tropical fruit with black seeds"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tropical american shrub or small tree having huge deeply palmately cleft leaves and large oblong yellow fruit
  • Similar words include: Carica papaya, papaia, pawpaw
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAPAYA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Some N.F.L. blockers: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Org. for Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Noted magnate on the Titanic"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that british politician (born in the united states) who was the first woman to sit in the british house of commons (1879-1964)
  • Similar words include: Nancy Witcher Astor, John Jacob Astor, Viscountess Astor
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASTOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "26. https://www.hot-dog.org?"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "29. Risky bets"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who travels by air
  • Similar words include: flyer, bill, flier
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLIERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. Convened"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that come together
  • Similar words include: take on, gather, fulfil
  • Opposite of: diverge
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "33. Shakespearean father of three"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that british artist and writer of nonsense verse (1812-1888)
  • Similar words include: Edward Lear, King Lear
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. Dings on a car"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening)
  • Similar words include: nick, dent, gouge
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DENTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "36. Out of patience, with "up""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any federal law-enforcement officer
  • Similar words include: give, eat, run
  • Opposite of: starve
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "37. Green sauce"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sauce typically served with pasta; contains crushed basil leaves and garlic and pine nuts and parmesan cheese in olive oil
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PESTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. Prone to throwing caution to the wind"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any red eruption of the skin
  • Similar words include: reckless, foolhardy, roseola
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RASH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "39. Unfavorable review"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cooking utensil consisting of a wide metal vessel
  • Similar words include: genus Pan, trash, pan out
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "40. Split, as the Red Sea"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that go one's own way; move apart
  • Similar words include: set forth, set out, start
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "41. https://www.zillow.com?"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "44. Plants that have been around on Earth for 375+ million years"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores
  • Similar words include: fern
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FERNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. O'Hare posting, for short"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a terrorist organization organized in 1959 by student activists who were dissatisfied with the moderate nationalism of the traditional basque party; want to create an independent homeland in spain's western pyrenees
  • Similar words include: Basque Fatherland and Liberty, Euskadi ta Askatasuna, Basque Homeland and Freedom
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "46. "My guy!""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "49. Dabble in"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "51. Psychedelic experience"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "53. Like Javan rhinos"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
  • Similar words include: rarefied, rarified, uncommon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "54. https://www.congress.gov?"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "56. Ilhan in Congress"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "57. Bad to the bone"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that morally objectionable behavior
  • Similar words include: malign, vicious, immorality
  • Opposite of: goodness, good
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "58. "Not gonna happen!""

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not ever; at no time in the past or future
  • Similar words include: ne'er
  • Opposite of: ever
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "59. Pickle"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of confusion and disorderliness
  • Similar words include: flock, pickle, heap
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "60. Secluded valley"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small wooded hollow
  • Similar words include: dingle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "61. Writer ___ Rogers St. Johns"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Shady spot 5
2D 2. Dracula, for one 5
3D 3. Camping covers 5
4D 4. Where Uzbeks and Uyghurs live 4
5D 5. Highest-grossing movie of the 1970s 8
6D 6. Magnetic induction units 6
7D 7. Andy Taylor's boy on old TV 4
8D 8. Cry on a tennis court 3
9D 9. Firmly held 7
10D 10. "Don't ruin the ending for me!" 10
11D 11. Genuinely 9
12D 12. "Peanuts" girl 4
13D 13. This, in Tijuana 4
14D 18. HBO's "The White ___" 5
15D 22. Locale of Coca-Cola's headquarters: Abbr. 3
16D 25. Like fine wine 4
17D 26. Amy Poehler's onetime partner on "Weekend Update" 10
18D 27. Update, perhaps 5
19D 28. Model Moss 4
20D 29. Four-term prez 3
21D 30. Wife of Jacob 4
22D 31. To the degree that 9
23D 34. Fishing pole 3
24D 36. Fidget spinners and Labubu dolls, for two 4
25D 37. Rose Bowl city 8
26D 39. Pulled down a pair? 7
27D 40. Like un homme with a Napoleon complex 5
28D 42. Distinct stretch of years 3
29D 43. Think back on 6
30D 46. Push through 5
31D 47. Orion's left-foot star 5
32D 48. "Norma" or "Tosca" 5
33D 49. Senior event 4
34D 50. Uncool 4
35D 51. Indigo dye 4
36D 52. Rolled out unannounced? 4
37D 55. Preceding night 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Shady spot"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tree (as opposed to shrub)
  • Similar words include: arbour, spindle, mandril
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARBOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Dracula, for one"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the total number counted
  • Similar words include: weigh, counting, matter
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Camping covers"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that waterproofed canvas
  • Similar words include: tarpaulin, tarp
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Where Uzbeks and Uyghurs live"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the largest continent with 60% of the earth's population; it is joined to europe on the west to form eurasia; it is the site of some of the world's earliest civilizations
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Highest-grossing movie of the 1970s"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Magnetic induction units"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Andy Taylor's boy on old TV"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Cry on a tennis court"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a brutal terrorist group active in kashmir; fights against india with the goal of restoring islamic rule of india
  • Similar words include: have, permit, countenance
  • Opposite of: forbid, prevent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Firmly held"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. "Don't ruin the ending for me!""

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Genuinely"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "Peanuts" girl"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern ethiopia in 1974
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUCY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. This, in Tijuana"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. HBO's "The White ___""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that native to eastern asia; widely cultivated for its large pink or white flowers
  • Similar words include: white lily, white lotus, Indian lotus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOTUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Locale of Coca-Cola's headquarters: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. Like fine wine"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that people who are old collectively
  • Similar words include: senesce, older, get on
  • Opposite of: young, rejuvenate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Amy Poehler's onetime partner on "Weekend Update""

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Update, perhaps"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make amendments to
  • Similar words include: ameliorate, remediate, rectify
  • Opposite of: worsen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Model Moss"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Four-term prez"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 32nd president of the united states; elected four times; instituted new deal to counter the great depression and led country during world war ii (1882-1945)
  • Similar words include: President Franklin Roosevelt, F. D. Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FDR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Wife of Jacob"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. To the degree that"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. Fishing pole"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin implement made of metal or wood
  • Similar words include: pole, gat, rod cell
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Fidget spinners and Labubu dolls, for two"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
  • Similar words include: rage, fad, furore
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Rose Bowl city"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a city in southwestern california to the east of los angeles
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASADENA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Pulled down a pair?"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Like un homme with a Napoleon complex"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Distinct stretch of years"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "43. Think back on"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a request by the manufacturer of a defective product to return the product (as for replacement or repair)
  • Similar words include: recollect, return, come back
  • Opposite of: forget, issue
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RECALL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Push through"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a north american indian warrior
  • Similar words include: courageous, brave out, weather
  • Opposite of: timid, cowardly
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRAVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Orion's left-foot star"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the brightest star in orion
  • Similar words include: Beta Orionis
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIGEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. "Norma" or "Tosca""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
  • Similar words include: opera house
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Senior event"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a formal ball held for a school class toward the end of the academic year
  • Similar words include: promenade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "50. Uncool"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "51. Indigo dye"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a blue dye obtained from plants or made synthetically
  • Similar words include: Indigofera anil, Indigofera suffruticosa, indigo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. Rolled out unannounced?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "55. Preceding night"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old testament) adam's wife in judeo-christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; god created eve from adam's rib and placed adam and eve in the garden of eden
  • Similar words include: evening, even, eventide
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVE

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: September 01, 2026 at 08:47 AM

Sunday, December 21, 2025

XWordHint Crossword Answers December 21, 2025 | 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. Some Arctic transports 9
2A 10. S.E.C. football powerhouse, for short 4
3A 14. 1950s hangout with a jukebox 8
4A 20. Game piece made of four squares 9
5A 21. "The Kite Runner" protagonist 4
6A 22. Skulks 6
7A 23. Joins gradually 9
8A 24. "Doggone it!" 4
9A 25. Treatment 6
10A 26. Blue colorant obtained from the indigo plant 4
11A 27. Wrangler alternative 3
12A 28. Brightly colored Mediterranean flowers 8
13A 30. Rap's Run-___ 3
14A 31. Course catalog? 4
15A 32. When Aries transitions to Taurus 5
16A 34. Sweetly, on scores 5
17A 35. "I'll pass" 3
18A 36. Input of certain mining 4
19A 38. Montalbán who played Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" 7
20A 40. Timer setting 4
21A 42. Areas of influence 7
22A 45. Mental health org. 3
23A 46. Fraudulently make seem like 9
24A 48. Covers completely 5
25A 49. Wyoming peak 5
26A 51. Like a corporation with a new logo, perhaps 9
27A 54. Comment from someone caught in the rain 8
28A 56. Yellow avenue in Monopoly 7
29A 58. A bit off, say 6
30A 59. Hyatt alternative 4
31A 60. Hard-boiled genre 4
32A 62. TheForce.net for "Star Wars," for example 7
33A 64. Dark side 3
34A 65. Former big name in browsers 8
35A 67. U.F.O.-watching org. 4
36A 68. By way of, informally 4
37A 70. Kemo ___ (the Lone Ranger) 4
38A 71. Sailor's patron 6
39A 72. Fleetwood Mac hit named for a Celtic goddess 8
40A 76. Daddy 3
41A 79. Eponymous British financier James ___ 7
42A 81. By saying this you mean well 4
43A 82. Wrap seller 4
44A 83. Adopted, as a pet 6
45A 85. Wasn't folded in a suitcase, say 7
46A 87. Developed, as baby teeth 6
47A 89. Sci-fi miniaturizer 9
48A 91. Emanations 5
49A 93. Boldly face 5
50A 94. Kind of cipher in which A becomes B, B becomes C, e.g. 6
51A 95. Guardians, on a scoreboard 3
52A 96. Bit of birdspeak 7
53A 98. Damp, mildewy quality 4
54A 99. They hold water 7
55A 102. Silence 4
56A 103. Lying faceup 6
57A 104. ___ Park, Calif. 5
58A 105. Air 5
59A 107. Disney subsidiary 4
60A 111. A little help? 3
61A 112. Evaded, as a sensitive issue 12
62A 114. Some pings, in brief 3
63A 115. "Fie on ___!" (Shakespearean cry) 4
64A 116. Skips over 6
65A 118. Few and far between 4
66A 119. Regulars at parks with ramps, informally 9
67A 121. Reply after having one's memory jogged 6
68A 122. Some time ago 4
69A 123. "What's done is done!" 9
70A 124. Stick (to) 6
71A 125. Garden interloper 4
72A 126. Church parts crossing naves 9

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Some Arctic transports"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "10. S.E.C. football powerhouse, for short"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "14. 1950s hangout with a jukebox"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "20. Game piece made of four squares"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "21. "The Kite Runner" protagonist"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an independent ruler or chieftain (especially in africa or arabia)
  • Similar words include: ameer, emir, emeer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "22. Skulks"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of prowling (walking about in a stealthy manner)
  • Similar words include: lurch, prowl
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROWLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "23. Joins gradually"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "24. "Doggone it!""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something of little value
  • Similar words include: shucks, damn, hoot
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DARN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "25. Treatment"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil
  • Similar words include: cure, redress, remediate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REMEDY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "26. Blue colorant obtained from the indigo plant"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a blue dye obtained from plants or made synthetically
  • Similar words include: indigo, Indigofera anil, indigotin
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "27. Wrangler alternative"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in america (born in 1957)
  • Similar words include: Henry Lee, Robert E. Lee, Bruce Lee
  • Opposite of: windward
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "28. Brightly colored Mediterranean flowers"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any plant of the genus helianthemum; vigorous plants of stony alpine meadows and dry scrub regions
  • Similar words include: helianthemum, sunrose, sun rose
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUNROSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "30. Rap's Run-___"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Course catalog?"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a list of dishes available at a restaurant
  • Similar words include: carte du jour, card, fare
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. When Aries transitions to Taurus"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Sweetly, on scores"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gently and sweetly
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOLCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. "I'll pass""

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. Input of certain mining"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn
  • Similar words include: datum, information, data point
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DATA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Montalbán who played Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan""

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that english economist who argued that the laws of supply and demand should operate in a free market (1772-1823)
  • Similar words include: David Ricardo
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RICARDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Timer setting"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that kitchen appliance used for baking or roasting
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Areas of influence"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular environment or walk of life
  • Similar words include: field, empyrean, sphere
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPHERES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Mental health org."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "46. Fraudulently make seem like"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Covers completely"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
  • Similar words include: coat, surface, pelage
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. Wyoming peak"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the large western branch of sioux people which was made up of several groups that lived on the plains
  • Similar words include: Teton Sioux, Lakota, Teton Dakota
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TETON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Like a corporation with a new logo, perhaps"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "54. Comment from someone caught in the rain"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "56. Yellow avenue in Monopoly"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "58. A bit off, say"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "59. Hyatt alternative"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "60. Hard-boiled genre"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. TheForce.net for "Star Wars," for example"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "64. Dark side"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the dark negative feminine principle in chinese dualistic cosmology
  • Opposite of: yang
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "65. Former big name in browsers"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a commercial browser
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NETSCAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "67. U.F.O.-watching org."

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "68. By way of, informally"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "70. Kemo ___ (the Lone Ranger)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "71. Sailor's patron"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "72. Fleetwood Mac hit named for a Celtic goddess"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "76. Daddy"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
  • Similar words include: pour down, toss off, dad
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "79. Eponymous British financier James ___"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42A: "81. By saying this you mean well"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43A: "82. Wrap seller"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shop selling ready-to-eat food products
  • Similar words include: food shop, delicatessen
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DELI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44A: "83. Adopted, as a pet"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45A: "85. Wasn't folded in a suitcase, say"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46A: "87. Developed, as baby teeth"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47A: "89. Sci-fi miniaturizer"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48A: "91. Emanations"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

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: aura, halo, atmosphere
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49A: "93. Boldly face"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a north american indian warrior
  • Similar words include: dauntless, endure, weather
  • Opposite of: cowardly, timid
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRAVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50A: "94. Kind of cipher in which A becomes B, B becomes C, e.g."

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that conqueror of gaul and master of italy (100-44 bc)
  • Similar words include: Gaius Julius Caesar, Sid Caesar, Sidney Caesar
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAESAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51A: "95. Guardians, on a scoreboard"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52A: "96. Bit of birdspeak"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make high-pitched sounds, as of birds
  • Similar words include: twitter
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHITTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53A: "98. Damp, mildewy quality"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a necessary or essential thing
  • Similar words include: mustiness, moldiness
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MUST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54A: "99. They hold water"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tube in which a body fluid circulates
  • Similar words include: vessel, vas, watercraft
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VESSELS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55A: "102. Silence"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56A: "103. Lying faceup"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lying face upward
  • Similar words include: resupine, resistless, unresisting
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUPINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57A: "104. ___ Park, Calif."

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58A: "105. Air"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

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: ethyl ether, vinyl ether, ethoxyethane
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59A: "107. Disney subsidiary"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60A: "111. A little help?"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
  • Similar words include: pixy, hob, extremely low frequency
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61A: "112. Evaded, as a sensitive issue"

12 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62A: "114. Some pings, in brief"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63A: "115. "Fie on ___!" (Shakespearean cry)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64A: "116. Skips over"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that leave or strike out
  • Similar words include: elide
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELIDES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65A: "118. Few and far between"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
  • Similar words include: uncommon, rarified, rarefied
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66A: "119. Regulars at parks with ramps, informally"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

67A: "121. Reply after having one's memory jogged"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68A: "122. Some time ago"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69A: "123. "What's done is done!""

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

70A: "124. Stick (to)"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be compatible or in accordance with
  • Similar words include: cohere, bind, stick to
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADHERE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71A: "125. Garden interloper"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any plant that crowds out cultivated plants
  • Similar words include: locoweed, Mary Jane, sens
  • Opposite of: cultivated plant
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

72A: "126. Church parts crossing naves"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that structure forming the transverse part of a cruciform church; crosses the nave at right angles
  • Similar words include: transept
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRANSEPTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Make furious 5
2D 2. "The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil ___ 5
3D 3. Tennis line judge's ruling 5
4D 4. Duke Ellington classic with the lyric "That was my heart serenading you" 14
5D 5. West side of L.A.? 3
6D 6. "Is there still time for me to join you?" 7
7D 7. 51 to the hour 8
8D 8. Stage direction 5
9D 9. Phillipa of Broadway 3
10D 10. Grammy winner Erykah 4
11D 11. ___ Gorman, "The Hill We Climb" poet 6
12D 12. Copy 6
13D 13. Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshments 13
14D 14. Spending romp 5
15D 15. Output of certain mining 4
16D 16. Counterpart of a sub 3
17D 17. Fast start? 12
18D 18. Father, familiarly 6
19D 19. Mentally overpower, with "out" 5
20D 28. Like most moccasins 6
21D 29. Great Dane of cartoons, informally 5
22D 33. More livid 6
23D 37. Keister, in Leicester 4
24D 39. 2015 chart-topping hit for the Weeknd 14
25D 40. Symbolic for its time 7
26D 41. Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard design 4
27D 42. Descendant 5
28D 43. Apple: Fr. 5
29D 44. Is without 5
30D 47. Rabid in appearance 8
31D 50. Woman's nickname that sounds like two letters 4
32D 51. Rice-A-___ 4
33D 52. "Borderlands" director ___ Roth 3
34D 53. Hiding place 3
35D 55. Gene pools? 8
36D 57. Org. with its own alphabet 4
37D 61. Abbr. not found on most smartphones 4
38D 63. "Aren't ___ lucky one?!" 4
39D 66. It has a lot of secretaries 7
40D 67. Shirt collar stiffener 4
41D 69. Where to find six "presents" in this puzzle? 12
42D 71. Knock 'em dead 4
43D 72. Coolidge who sang the theme for "Octopussy" 4
44D 73. Just getting started with 5
45D 74. Green shade 5
46D 75. What Joe Montana was in the '80s 5
47D 76. A TD scores six of these 3
48D 77. "Fancy, that!" 3
49D 78. Prickly denizen of coral reefs 13
50D 80. Famed lawyer in the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial 14
51D 81. Most minimal 6
52D 84. Some Korean exports 4
53D 86. Calmed deceptively 6
54D 88. Baseball slugger's stat 4
55D 90. Bird used to deliver messages on "Game of Thrones" 5
56D 92. Blueprints 8
57D 97. Author Zora Neale ___ 7
58D 98. Noodled on, with "over" 6
59D 100. Girlfriend in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" 6
60D 101. Informant 6
61D 103. "Ta-ta!" 5
62D 104. Tricky pool shot 5
63D 106. Someone enjoying a walk in the park 5
64D 108. Mentally with it 5
65D 109. ___ four 5
66D 110. Fits one inside the other 5
67D 112. Porcine : pigs :: cervine : ___ 4
68D 113. Essential 4
69D 117. It might be good for a change 3
70D 119. One who knows the drill?: Abbr. 3
71D 120. Teslas, e.g., for short 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Make furious"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water at boiling temperature diffused in the atmosphere
  • Similar words include: steam clean, steamer
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. "The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil ___"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Tennis line judge's ruling"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Duke Ellington classic with the lyric "That was my heart serenading you""

14 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. West side of L.A.?"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. "Is there still time for me to join you?""

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. 51 to the hour"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Stage direction"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to come or go into
  • Similar words include: inscribe, move into, accede
  • Opposite of: drop out, exit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Phillipa of Broadway"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Grammy winner Erykah"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. ___ Gorman, "The Hill We Climb" poet"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Copy"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIRROR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshments"

13 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Spending romp"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a brief indulgence of your impulses
  • Similar words include: fling
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPREE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "15. Output of certain mining"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "16. Counterpart of a sub"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "17. Fast start?"

12 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "18. Father, familiarly"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "19. Mentally overpower, with "out""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. Like most moccasins"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "29. Great Dane of cartoons, informally"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. More livid"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feeling or showing extreme anger
  • Similar words include: ireful, irate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRATER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "37. Keister, in Leicester"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "39. 2015 chart-topping hit for the Weeknd"

14 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "40. Symbolic for its time"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "41. Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard design"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
  • Similar words include: vanguard, avant-garde, caravan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Descendant"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a descendent or heir
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCION

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Apple: Fr."

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Is without"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Rabid in appearance"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that become bubbly or frothy or foaming
  • Similar words include: effervesce, sparkle, foam
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FROTHING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Woman's nickname that sounds like two letters"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "51. Rice-A-___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. "Borderlands" director ___ Roth"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Hiding place"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "55. Gene pools?"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Org. with its own alphabet"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an international organization created in 1949 by the north atlantic treaty for purposes of collective security
  • Similar words include: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NATO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "61. Abbr. not found on most smartphones"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "63. "Aren't ___ lucky one?!""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "66. It has a lot of secretaries"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a piece of furniture resembling a cupboard with doors and shelves and drawers; for storage or display
  • Similar words include: storage locker, locker, console
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CABINET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "67. Shirt collar stiffener"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that continuing or remaining in a place or state
  • Similar words include: stay put, outride, persist
  • Opposite of: change, depart
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "69. Where to find six "presents" in this puzzle?"

12 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "71. Knock 'em dead"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that kill intentionally and with premeditation
  • Similar words include: polish off, murder, off
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

43D: "72. Coolidge who sang the theme for "Octopussy""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44D: "73. Just getting started with"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

45D: "74. Green shade"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small ovoid fruit of the european olive tree; important food and source of oil
  • Similar words include: Olea europaea, European olive tree
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLIVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

46D: "75. What Joe Montana was in the '80s"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
  • Similar words include: IX, ix, nine
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NINER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

47D: "76. A TD scores six of these"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a heavy precious metallic element; grey-white and resistant to corroding; occurs in some nickel and copper ores and is also found native in some deposits
  • Similar words include: platinum, atomic number 78, Pt
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

48D: "77. "Fancy, that!""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that express admiration and pleasure by uttering `ooh' or `aah'
  • Similar words include: aah
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OOH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

49D: "78. Prickly denizen of coral reefs"

13 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that spines become erect when the body is inflated; worldwide in warm waters
  • Similar words include: Diodon hystrix, porcupine fish
  • Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PORCUPINEFISH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

50D: "80. Famed lawyer in the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial"

14 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

51D: "81. Most minimal"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that completely unclothed
  • Similar words include: unsheathed, simple, bleak
  • Opposite of: sheathed, covered
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAREST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

52D: "84. Some Korean exports"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

53D: "86. Calmed deceptively"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that calm by deception
  • Similar words include: tranquillise, calm, quieten
  • Opposite of: agitate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LULLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

54D: "88. Baseball slugger's stat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a run that is the result of the batter's performance
  • Similar words include: rbi, run batted in
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RBIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

55D: "90. Bird used to deliver messages on "Game of Thrones""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail
  • Similar words include: devour, Corvus corax, pig
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAVEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

56D: "92. Blueprints"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an internal representation of the world; an organization of concepts and actions that can be revised by new information about the world
  • Similar words include: schema, outline, scheme
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCHEMATA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

57D: "97. Author Zora Neale ___"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

58D: "98. Noodled on, with "over""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that reflect deeply on a subject
  • Similar words include: mull, reflect, ponder
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MULLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

59D: "100. Girlfriend in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

60D: "101. Informant"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the place where something begins, where it springs into being
  • Similar words include: author, seed, origin
  • Opposite of: sink
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOURCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

61D: "103. "Ta-ta!""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

62D: "104. Tricky pool shot"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shot in billiards made by hitting the cue ball with the cue held nearly vertically; the cue ball spins around another ball before hitting the object ball
  • Similar words include: masse shot
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

63D: "106. Someone enjoying a walk in the park"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a foot traveler; someone who goes on an extended walk (for pleasure)
  • Similar words include: tramp, tramper
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIKER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

64D: "108. Mentally with it"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named
  • Similar words include: penetrating, discriminating, penetrative
  • Opposite of: flat, dull
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHARP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

65D: "109. ___ four"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

66D: "110. Fits one inside the other"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
  • Similar words include: nest, snuggle, nestle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NESTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

67D: "112. Porcine : pigs :: cervine : ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that distinguished from bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
  • Similar words include: cervid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

68D: "113. Essential"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condition requiring relief
  • Similar words include: pauperization, necessitate, involve
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

69D: "117. It might be good for a change"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair
  • Similar words include: dyestuff
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DYE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

70D: "119. One who knows the drill?: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

71D: "120. Teslas, e.g., for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of energy equal to the work done by an electron accelerated through a potential difference of 1 volt
  • Similar words include: eV, electron volt
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVS

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

72 Across Clues
71 Down Clues
143 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: December 21, 2025 at 04:22 AM