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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

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

Thursday, July 23, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 23, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. More than just a disapproving look 10
2A 10. Scruff of the neck 4
3A 13. Fondita offerings 10
4A 15. Three-time A.L. M.V.P. of the 2000s, familiarly 4
5A 16. "The Devil's radio" 10
6A 17. Pollution portmanteau 4
7A 18. Really peeved 3
8A 19. What a pointless game has? 7
9A 21. Outfitted 8
10A 25. Password preceder 6
11A 26. Former Toyota sports cars named for a Latin prefix 6
12A 27. Passover month 5
13A 29. ___-turvy 5
14A 30. Sprint, e.g. 4
15A 31. Home run hitter's gait 4
16A 35. Downed 3
17A 36. Part in a play 4
18A 37. "That's the spot!" 3
19A 38. "Tyrone" singer Erykah 4
20A 40. Not much 4
21A 41. "Will you let me?" 5
22A 43. Desert for which an African country is named 5
23A 45. Like obsidian rock, once 6
24A 46. Symbol of rebirth in ancient Egypt 6
25A 49. Last hurrah 8
26A 51. Trials by fire 7
27A 53. Wholly, but not holey or holy, e.g.: Abbr. 3
28A 54. Helen of Troy's mother 4
29A 55. Ignominious outcome 10
30A 61. Tech product discontinued in 2022 4
31A 62. Proposed cosmological phenomenon that could make up 70% of the universe — and six squares in this puzzle's grid? 10
32A 63. Not admit 4
33A 64. Pottery so named for its hardness 9

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. More than just a disapproving look"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "10. Scruff of the neck"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the back side of the neck
  • Similar words include: scruff, nucha
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "13. Fondita offerings"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tortilla with meat filling baked in tomato sauce seasoned with chili
  • Similar words include: enchilada
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENCHILADAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. Three-time A.L. M.V.P. of the 2000s, familiarly"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. "The Devil's radio""

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Pollution portmanteau"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

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!

7A: "18. Really peeved"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
  • Similar words include: red-hot, blistering, live
  • Opposite of: cold
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. What a pointless game has?"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Outfitted"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that provide with (something) usually for a specific purpose
  • Similar words include: fit out, furnished, equip
  • Opposite of: unequipped, unfurnished
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EQUIPPED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "25. Password preceder"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "26. Former Toyota sports cars named for a Latin prefix"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "27. Passover month"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seventh month of the civil year; the first month of the ecclesiastic year (in march and april)
  • Similar words include: Nissan
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NISAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "29. ___-turvy"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Sprint, e.g."

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any competition
  • Similar words include: bucket along, run, backwash
  • Opposite of: linger
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Home run hitter's gait"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slow pace of running
  • Similar words include: crib, Trotskyite, pony
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TROT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. Downed"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
  • Similar words include: eat up, run through, feed
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Part in a play"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group
  • Similar words include: theatrical role, character, function
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. "That's the spot!""

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. "Tyrone" singer Erykah"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Not much"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. "Will you let me?""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. Desert for which an African country is named"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "45. Like obsidian rock, once"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
  • Similar words include: liquified, mellow out, run
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOLTEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Symbol of rebirth in ancient Egypt"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that scarabaeid beetle considered divine by ancient egyptians
  • Similar words include: Scarabaeus sacer, scarabaeus
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCARAB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. Last hurrah"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Trials by fire"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a severe or trying experience
  • Similar words include: ordeal, trial by ordeal
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORDEALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "53. Wholly, but not holey or holy, e.g.: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "54. Helen of Troy's mother"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) a queen of sparta who was raped by zeus who had taken the form of a swan; helen of troy was conceived in the rape of leda
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. Ignominious outcome"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "61. Tech product discontinued in 2022"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (trademark) a pocket-sized device used to play music files
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IPOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "62. Proposed cosmological phenomenon that could make up 70% of the universe — and six squares in this puzzle's grid?"

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "63. Not admit"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that declare untrue; contradict
  • Similar words include: refuse, traverse, abnegate
  • Opposite of: admit, allow
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DENY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "64. Pottery so named for its hardness"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ceramic ware that is fired in high heat and vitrified and nonporous
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STONEWARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Agnus ___ 3
2D 2. Word after tight or defensive 3
3D 3. Knee stabilizer, in brief 3
4D 4. Not just any 3
5D 5. Attractive feature of a job 7
6D 6. Single-masted vessels 6
7D 7. Sweet or sour 5
8D 8. Podcast interruptions 3
9D 9. Frequent forecast in Seattle 4
10D 10. Strong suit? 5
11D 11. Unleavened South Asian flatbread 5
12D 12. Follower of double or gilt 5
13D 14. Champion, as a cause 7
14D 15. Budding 7
15D 20. Org. with a list of popular baby names 3
16D 21. Minimum, in a way 5
17D 22. Increased 5
18D 23. Letters before ".gov" 3
19D 24. Forensic facilities 7
20D 26. Sign abbr. meaning "founded in" 5
21D 28. Coffee or tea specification 4
22D 30. Unleavened South Asian flatbread 4
23D 32. Sought comfort from, say 5
24D 33. Like granola 5
25D 34. Unnamed article 5
26D 39. Ill-prepared 7
27D 40. Didn't stay on topic 7
28D 41. Come together 7
29D 42. Lou Gehrig's disease, for short 3
30D 44. One level below the majors 3
31D 45. Infuriate 6
32D 46. Sphere, e.g. 5
33D 47. Crinkly fabric 5
34D 48. Extension 5
35D 50. Totally bizarre 5
36D 52. Places to get masks 4
37D 56. Original N.Y.C. subway line 3
38D 57. Handful 3
39D 58. Long stretch 3
40D 59. Cabinet dept. since 1889 3
41D 60. Gospel musician Tribbett 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Agnus ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Word after tight or defensive"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either extremity of something that has length
  • Similar words include: conclusion, goal, terminal
  • Opposite of: begin, beginning
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: END

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Knee stabilizer, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Not just any"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Attractive feature of a job"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Single-masted vessels"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sailing vessel with a single mast set about one third of the boat's length aft of the bow
  • Similar words include: sloop
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOOPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sweet or sour"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus
  • Similar words include: taste perception, discernment, sample
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TASTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Podcast interruptions"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a public promotion of some product or service
  • Similar words include: advertising, advertizing, ad
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Frequent forecast in Seattle"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
  • Similar words include: rain down, pelting, rainwater
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Strong suit?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that protective covering made of metal and used in combat
  • Similar words include: armour
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARMOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Unleavened South Asian flatbread"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Follower of double or gilt"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that advance slowly, as if by inches
  • Similar words include: border, butt against, edge
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDGED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. Champion, as a cause"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans
  • Similar words include: follow, hook up with, conjoin
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESPOUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. Budding"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that being born or beginning
  • Opposite of: dying
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NASCENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "20. Org. with a list of popular baby names"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an independent government agency responsible for the social security system
  • Similar words include: Social Security Administration
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "21. Minimum, in a way"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a prescribed number
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: QUOTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "22. Increased"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "23. Letters before ".gov""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the bureau of the treasury department responsible for tax collections
  • Similar words include: Internal Revenue Service
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "24. Forensic facilities"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "26. Sign abbr. meaning "founded in""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "28. Coffee or tea specification"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that decorate with frosting
  • Similar words include: ice, frost
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. Unleavened South Asian flatbread"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. Sought comfort from, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "33. Like granola"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or related to or derived from oats
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OATEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "34. Unnamed article"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a special situation
  • Similar words include: matter, affair
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Ill-prepared"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not prepared or in a state of readiness; slow to understand or respond
  • Opposite of: ready
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNREADY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Didn't stay on topic"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
  • Similar words include: roam, swan, wander
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAMBLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. Come together"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that meet formally
  • Similar words include: convoke
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CONVENE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. Lou Gehrig's disease, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord; results in progressive muscle atrophy that starts in the limbs
  • Similar words include: Heart of Dixie, Camellia State, Alabama
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. One level below the majors"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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!

31D: "45. Infuriate"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cause to go crazy; cause to lose one's mind
  • Similar words include: craze
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADDEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "46. Sphere, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that matter that is solid at room temperature and pressure
  • Similar words include: self-colored, whole, hearty
  • Opposite of: hollow, liquid
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOLID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "47. Crinkly fabric"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that paper with a crinkled texture; usually colored and used for decorations
  • Similar words include: crape, French pancake, crepe paper
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CREPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "48. Extension"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "50. Totally bizarre"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is regarded as eccentric or mad
  • Similar words include: whacko, nutter
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WACKO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. Places to get masks"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a health resort near a spring or at the seaside
  • Similar words include: health spa, health club, watering place
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Original N.Y.C. subway line"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "57. Handful"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small elite group
  • Opposite of: many
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "58. Long stretch"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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!

40D: "59. Cabinet dept. since 1889"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "60. Gospel musician Tribbett"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

33 Across Clues
41 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.

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Last updated: July 23, 2026 at 06:13 AM