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Wednesday, August 26, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 26, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Modern lead-in to quit or bait 4
2A 5. Heat source for many hydrothermal vents 5
3A 10. Act all teenagerly, say 4
4A 14. [I have something to say ...] 4
5A 15. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders 5
6A 16. River by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre 4
7A 17. Enhancing "blemish" (3x) 10
8A 19. Rip apart 4
9A 20. Something to belly up to 3
10A 21. Tennis's "King of Clay," familiarly 4
11A 22. Cautious 4
12A 23. "My guess is ..." 5
13A 25. Teach, playfully (3x) 9
14A 29. Pinocchio's tell 4
15A 31. South American capital where Simón Bolívar was born 7
16A 32. ___ Wowie (cocktail with a rhyming name) 4
17A 33. PC key 3
18A 34. Wait for it! 3
19A 35. Sweet popcorn coating (4x) 13
20A 39. Sci-fi pilot ___ Solo 3
21A 40. Call, as a poker bet 3
22A 41. Roman author of "Metamorphoses" 4
23A 42. Fred Flintstone's boss at the rock quarry 7
24A 45. Tech review site 4
25A 46. Nut in Sausalito cookies (3x) 9
26A 48. Bundles in a stationery shop 5
27A 52. Pointed remarks 4
28A 53. "Famous" cookie entrepreneur 4
29A 55. Church fixture 3
30A 56. Black mark on a credit report, in brief 4
31A 57. "Unbelievable!" ... or what 17-, 25-, 35- and 46-Across are made from, letter-wise? 10
32A 60. Never Have I ___ (party game) 4
33A 61. April's ___ Day 5
34A 62. Bug on a pug 4
35A 63. Alien incubators in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" 4
36A 64. Acrimonious, as a breakup 5
37A 65. Units of verse 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Modern lead-in to quit or bait"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a feeling of intense anger
  • Similar words include: storm, furore, craze
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Heat source for many hydrothermal vents"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that molten rock in the earth's crust
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAGMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Act all teenagerly, say"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who wastes time
  • Similar words include: dilly-dallier, mope around, moon around
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. [I have something to say ...]"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc.
  • Similar words include: hem
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) a titan who was forced by zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders
  • Similar words include: telamon, atlas vertebra, book of maps
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATLAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. River by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a river in southwestern england rising in gloucestershire and flowing through bristol to empty into the estuary of the severn
  • Similar words include: Upper Avon, River Avon, Upper Avon River
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Enhancing "blemish" (3x)"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Rip apart"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tear or be torn violently
  • Similar words include: rip, pull, rive
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Something to belly up to"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
  • Similar words include: streak, cake, Browning automatic rifle
  • Opposite of: unbar
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Tennis's "King of Clay," familiarly"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Cautious"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
  • Similar words include: leery, mistrustful, suspicious
  • Opposite of: unwary
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WARY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. "My guess is ...""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Teach, playfully (3x)"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Pinocchio's tell"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
  • Similar words include: nozzle, intrude, olfactory organ
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. South American capital where Simón Bolívar was born"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of venezuela
  • Similar words include: capital of Venezuela
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARACAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. ___ Wowie (cocktail with a rhyming name)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the second largest of the hawaiian islands
  • Similar words include: Maui Island
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAUI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "33. PC key"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
  • Similar words include: EL, elevation, altitude
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "34. Wait for it!"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
  • Similar words include: peak, lead, tip off
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "35. Sweet popcorn coating (4x)"

13 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Sci-fi pilot ___ Solo"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that imperial dynasty that ruled china (most of the time from 206 bc to ad 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of chinese civilization
  • Similar words include: Han dynasty
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Call, as a poker bet"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
  • Similar words include: insure, find, go steady
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. Roman author of "Metamorphoses""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roman poet remembered for his elegiac verses on love (43 bc - ad 17)
  • Similar words include: Publius Ovidius Naso
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "42. Fred Flintstone's boss at the rock quarry"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Tech review site"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. Nut in Sausalito cookies (3x)"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any tree of the genus macadamia
  • Similar words include: macadamia tree
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MACADAMIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "48. Bundles in a stationery shop"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large quantity of written matter
  • Similar words include: ream
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "52. Pointed remarks"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
  • Similar words include: thrusting, dig, thrust
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JABS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. "Famous" cookie entrepreneur"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hebrew shepherd and minor prophet
  • Similar words include: Book of Amos
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. Church fixture"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation
  • Similar words include: church bench
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "56. Black mark on a credit report, in brief"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. "Unbelievable!" ... or what 17-, 25-, 35- and 46-Across are made from, letter-wise?"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Never Have I ___ (party game)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that at any time
  • Similar words include: e'er, ever so, always
  • Opposite of: never
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "61. April's ___ Day"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "62. Bug on a pug"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "63. Alien incubators in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)
  • Similar words include: fuel pod, seedpod, cod
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PODS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "64. Acrimonious, as a breakup"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dirty and disorderly
  • Similar words include: mussy
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MESSY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "65. Units of verse"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
  • Similar words include: base, groundwork, metrical unit
  • Opposite of: head
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Torah scholar 5
2D 2. Bridge Out ___ (sign) 5
3D 3. They have teeth but don't bite 5
4D 4. Ground-dwelling bird in a eucalyptus forest 3
5D 5. Chichén Itzá builders 4
6D 6. Taking charge? 6
7D 7. Happy-sounding advocacy grp. 5
8D 8. Scuff up, say 3
9D 9. Set, as a price 3
10D 10. Instrument associated with beans and salsa? 6
11D 11. Was a ham 9
12D 12. Scrunchied hairstyle 8
13D 13. "The ___" (final track listed on the original "Abbey Road") 3
14D 18. Audition 6
15D 22. Word that can precede cry or baby 3
16D 24. Picky, picky, picky 4
17D 26. Sch. attended by Steve Martin, James Dean and Jack Black (none of whom stayed to graduate) 4
18D 27. Housemother 6
19D 28. What cards with circles, stars, pluses, squares and wavy lines test for, in brief 3
20D 30. Day break? 6
21D 32. Got it all off his chest? 9
22D 33. Disc golf "hole"-in-one 3
23D 35. Capital city known as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans" 8
24D 36. Consider 4
25D 37. Disinclined 6
26D 38. Small bug with a strong-sounding name 4
27D 39. "Well, let me think" 3
28D 43. Herculean tasks 6
29D 44. Almost a quarter of the Super Bowl's run time 3
30D 45. Sometimes-uncredited appearances 6
31D 47. da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, for example 5
32D 49. Gift from a teacher's pet 5
33D 50. Free-for-all 5
34D 51. Result of a hot pursuit? 5
35D 54. Grand Ole ___ 4
36D 56. One leg press, say 3
37D 57. Uncle ___ 3
38D 58. Minecraft resource 3
39D 59. Command to a jumpy dog 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Torah scholar"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that spiritual leader of a jewish congregation; qualified to expound and apply jewish law
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RABBI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Bridge Out ___ (sign)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that having the leading position or higher score in a contest
  • Similar words include: onwards, leading, forward
  • Opposite of: backward, back
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHEAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. They have teeth but don't bite"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion
  • Similar words include: geared wheel, gear wheel, train
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Ground-dwelling bird in a eucalyptus forest"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various systems of units for measuring electricity and magnetism
  • Similar words include: Dromaius novaehollandiae, electromagnetic unit, Emu novaehollandiae
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Chichén Itzá builders"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of an american indian people of yucatan and belize and guatemala who had a culture (which reached its peak between ad 300 and 900) characterized by outstanding architecture and pottery and astronomy
  • Similar words include: Mayan language, Mayan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAYA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Taking charge?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Happy-sounding advocacy grp."

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Scuff up, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Set, as a price"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that inquire about
  • Similar words include: inquire, need, involve
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Instrument associated with beans and salsa?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow gourd containing pebbles or beans; often played in pairs
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARACA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Was a ham"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that exaggerate one's acting
  • Similar words include: ham it up, overact, ham
  • Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVERACTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Scrunchied hairstyle"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hair style that draws the hair back so that it hangs down in back of the head like a pony's tail
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PONYTAIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. "The ___" (final track listed on the original "Abbey Road")"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Audition"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that trying something to find out about it
  • Similar words include: audition, trial, trial run
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRYOUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Word that can precede cry or baby"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
  • Similar words include: warfare, state of war
  • Opposite of: peace, make peace
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Picky, picky, picky"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or related to the anus
  • Similar words include: anal retentive
  • Opposite of: oral
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Sch. attended by Steve Martin, James Dean and Jack Black (none of whom stayed to graduate)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Housemother"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MATRON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. What cards with circles, stars, pluses, squares and wavy lines test for, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Day break?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a nap in the early afternoon (especially in hot countries)
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIESTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. Got it all off his chest?"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Disc golf "hole"-in-one"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: genius, nail, Allied Command Europe
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Capital city known as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans""

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capital and largest city of bosnia; scene of the assassination of francis ferdinand in 1914 which precipitated world war i
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARAJEVO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Consider"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
  • Similar words include: view as, hold, take for
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Disinclined"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (usually followed by `to') strongly opposed
  • Similar words include: loath, loth, antipathetic
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVERSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Small bug with a strong-sounding name"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slight but appreciable amount
  • Similar words include: pinch, touch, soupcon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MITE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. "Well, let me think""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Herculean tasks"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
  • Similar words include: parturiency, trade union movement, drive
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LABORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Almost a quarter of the Super Bowl's run time"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "45. Sometimes-uncredited appearances"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that engraving or carving in low relief on a stone (as in a brooch or ring)
  • Similar words include: cameo
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAMEOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, for example"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metrical unit with unstressed-stressed syllables
  • Similar words include: iamb, iambus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IAMBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Gift from a teacher's pet"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh
  • Similar words include: Malus pumila, orchard apple tree
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APPLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Free-for-all"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a noisy riotous fight
  • Similar words include: scrimmage, battle royal
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MELEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Result of a hot pursuit?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
  • Similar words include: travail, sudate, swither
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Grand Ole ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "56. One leg press, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal abbreviation of `representative'
  • Similar words include: repp
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "57. Uncle ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
  • Similar words include: surface-to-air missile
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Minecraft resource"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Command to a jumpy dog"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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
39 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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

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

Last updated: August 26, 2026 at 04:08 AM

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 19, 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. Sahara-esque 4
2A 5. Exams for high school jrs. 5
3A 10. Private sleeping accommodations? 4
4A 14. "Didn't you get the ___?" 4
5A 15. Wipe from one's memory, so to speak 5
6A 16. Section in a textbook 4
7A 17. "___ She Lovely" (Stevie Wonder hit) 4
8A 18. Deceptive move in fencing 5
9A 19. Depend (on) 4
10A 20. Natural pillow filling 13
11A 23. Graffiti, to some 3
12A 24. Three unnamed things, in shorthand 3
13A 25. Quinceañeras, e.g. 5
14A 28. Lifted 5
15A 30. Services for senior citizens 9
16A 34. Hybrid tennis attire 5
17A 36. Word with pan, pump or paint 3
18A 37. ___ Minor 4
19A 38. Unofficial vote 9
20A 41. President who was a heavyweight wrestling champion in college 4
21A 44. "___ got it!" 3
22A 45. Cats and dogs, for example 5
23A 48. Old West outlaw who left behind poetic messages after some robberies 9
24A 51. Excludes 5
25A 53. Mount ___ Health System 5
26A 54. Immature high score initials on an arcade game 3
27A 56. Something to trust 3
28A 57. Hides one's central point, in a way ... with a doubly homophonic hint to 20-, 30-, 38- and 48-Across 13
29A 62. They offer support 4
30A 64. Speak at a political convention, perhaps 5
31A 65. Field 4
32A 66. Facility 4
33A 67. 2008 film about a solitary trash-compacting robot 5
34A 68. Semiaquatic relative of a weasel 4
35A 69. Blue No. 1 and Yellow No. 6 4
36A 70. Fall bloom 5
37A 71. Cave wall hangings? 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Sahara-esque"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lacking sufficient water or rainfall
  • Similar words include: waterless, desiccated, desiccate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Exams for high school jrs."

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Private sleeping accommodations?"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sheath worn to protect a finger
  • Similar words include: camp bed, cot, fingerstall
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. "Didn't you get the ___?""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a written proposal or reminder
  • Similar words include: memorandum, memoranda
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Wipe from one's memory, so to speak"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Section in a textbook"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange
  • Similar words include: whole, building block, unit of measurement
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. "___ She Lovely" (Stevie Wonder hit)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Deceptive move in fencing"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any distracting or deceptive maneuver (as a mock attack)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEINT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Depend (on)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have confidence or faith in
  • Similar words include: bank, swear, trust
  • Opposite of: mistrust
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RELY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Natural pillow filling"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Graffiti, to some"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the products of human creativity; works of art collectively
  • Similar words include: fine art, artwork, graphics
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ART

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Three unnamed things, in shorthand"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Quinceañeras, e.g."

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an established ceremony prescribed by a religion
  • Similar words include: religious rite, ritual, rite
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RITES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Lifted"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
  • Similar words include: steal, slip
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Services for senior citizens"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Hybrid tennis attire"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Word with pan, pump or paint"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water
  • Similar words include: petroleum, embrocate, crude
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. ___ Minor"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Unofficial vote"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. President who was a heavyweight wrestling champion in college"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states sculptor (1860-1936)
  • Similar words include: Lorado Taft, William Howard Taft, President Taft
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "44. "___ got it!""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Cats and dogs, for example"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a content word that can be used to refer to a person, place, thing, quality, or action
  • Similar words include: noun
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOUNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "48. Old West outlaw who left behind poetic messages after some robberies"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "51. Excludes"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prevent from being included or considered or accepted
  • Similar words include: except, take out, leave out
  • Opposite of: include, attend to
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "53. Mount ___ Health System"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mountain peak in the southern sinai peninsula (7,500 feet high); it is believed to be the peak on which moses received the ten commandments
  • Similar words include: Mount Sinai, Sinai Peninsula, Sinai Desert
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "54. Immature high score initials on an arcade game"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "56. Something to trust"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus
  • Similar words include: intestine, catgut, bowel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "57. Hides one's central point, in a way ... with a doubly homophonic hint to 20-, 30-, 38- and 48-Across"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "62. They offer support"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an undergarment worn by women to support their breasts
  • Similar words include: brassiere, bandeau, bra
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "64. Speak at a political convention, perhaps"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that talk pompously
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "65. Field"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
  • Similar words include: domain, surface area, arena
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "66. Facility"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
  • Similar words include: relieve, still, alleviate
  • Opposite of: difficulty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "67. 2008 film about a solitary trash-compacting robot"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "68. Semiaquatic relative of a weasel"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the expensive fur of a mink
  • Similar words include: mink coat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "69. Blue No. 1 and Yellow No. 6"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "70. Fall bloom"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various chiefly fall-blooming herbs of the genus aster with showy daisylike flowers
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "71. Cave wall hangings?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate
  • Similar words include: kooky, wacky, at-bat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Female friends from Fuenlabrada 6
2D 2. Some vacation destinations 7
3D 3. "My mood is pretty low" 7
4D 4. Top three sights in Fiji? 4
5D 5. Like eyes during an allergy attack 5
6D 6. "Bless you!" elicitor 6
7D 7. ___ Minor 4
8D 8. Something that's pitched 4
9D 9. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane 4
10D 10. Set of courses offered 10
11D 11. Miserable rating 7
12D 12. "___ death do us part" 3
13D 13. What a parent might compare a messy bedroom to 3
14D 21. Put forth 5
15D 22. Drop the ball 3
16D 26. Verbal hesitations 3
17D 27. Neptune's territory 3
18D 29. Situations one might no longer put effort into 10
19D 31. Drop 5
20D 32. Drop 3
21D 33. North Carolina university 4
22D 35. Chicago paper, with "the" 4
23D 39. ___ Max, singer of the 2018 hit "Sweet but Psycho" 3
24D 40. Not taut 5
25D 41. Longtime "American Dad!" airer 3
26D 42. 2001 biopic starring Will Smith 3
27D 43. The "Beyhive" for Beyoncé, e.g. 7
28D 46. Country bordering Chad and Benin 7
29D 47. Lecture attendee 7
30D 49. ___ royale (Champagne cocktail) 3
31D 50. Rat (on) 6
32D 52. They can be well-done 6
33D 55. See-through 5
34D 58. Part of the Corn Belt 4
35D 59. Important stretches 4
36D 60. The word "salary" derives from the Latin for this 4
37D 61. What a shepherd may shepherd 4
38D 62. Bouncy part of a trampoline 3
39D 63. "A drop of golden sun," in song 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Female friends from Fuenlabrada"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Some vacation destinations"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hotel located in a resort area
  • Similar words include: resort hotel, recur, recourse
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESORTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. "My mood is pretty low""

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Top three sights in Fiji?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very small circular shape
  • Similar words include: constellate, sprinkle, dit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Like eyes during an allergy attack"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that being puffed out; used of hair style or clothing
  • Similar words include: turgid, gusty, tumescent
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PUFFY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. "Bless you!" elicitor"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a symptom consisting of the involuntary expulsion of air from the nose
  • Similar words include: sneezing, sternutation
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNEEZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. ___ Minor"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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!

8D: "8. Something that's pitched"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old testament) third son of adam and eve; given by god in place of the murdered abel
  • Similar words include: Set
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Set of courses offered"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an integrated course of academic studies
  • Similar words include: course of study, syllabus, program
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CURRICULUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Miserable rating"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "___ death do us part""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. What a parent might compare a messy bedroom to"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid
  • Similar words include: eye infection, pigsty, hordeolum
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Put forth"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have and exercise
  • Similar words include: exercise, wield, maintain
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXERT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Drop the ball"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Verbal hesitations"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
  • Similar words include: Er, ER, emergency room
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Neptune's territory"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
  • Similar words include: ocean
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "29. Situations one might no longer put effort into"

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "31. Drop"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the lower of two berths
  • Similar words include: lour, humiliated, miserable
  • Opposite of: raise, high
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOWER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "32. Drop"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a depression in an otherwise level surface
  • Similar words include: angle of dip, magnetic inclination, drop
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "33. North Carolina university"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Chicago paper, with "the""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "39. ___ Max, singer of the 2018 hit "Sweet but Psycho""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "40. Not taut"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that grant freedom to; free from confinement
  • Similar words include: liberal, liberate, wanton
  • Opposite of: tight, affixed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "41. Longtime "American Dad!" airer"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metallic element of the rare earth group; used in lasers; occurs in apatite and monazite and xenotime and ytterbite
  • Similar words include: terbium, terabyte, Tb
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "42. 2001 biopic starring Will Smith"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
  • Similar words include: Cassius Clay, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Muhammad Ali
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. The "Beyhive" for Beyoncé, e.g."

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "46. Country bordering Chad and Benin"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in west africa on the gulf of guinea; gained independence from britain in 1960; most populous african country
  • Similar words include: Federal Republic of Nigeria
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIGERIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Lecture attendee"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
  • Similar words include: bookman, pupil, educatee
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUDENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. ___ royale (Champagne cocktail)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Rat (on)"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that disclosing information or giving evidence about another
  • Similar words include: let the cat out of the bag, blab, peach
  • Opposite of: keep quiet
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TATTLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "52. They can be well-done"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slice of meat cut from the fleshy part of an animal or large fish
  • Similar words include: steak
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEAKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "55. See-through"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that turn sharply; change direction abruptly
  • Similar words include: transparent, gauze-like, vapourous
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHEER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "58. Part of the Corn Belt"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the siouan people formerly living in iowa and minnesota and missouri
  • Similar words include: IA, Hawkeye State, Ioway
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IOWA

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35D: "59. Important stretches"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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36D: "60. The word "salary" derives from the Latin for this"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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37D: "61. What a shepherd may shepherd"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that young sheep
  • Similar words include: Elia, dear, Charles Lamb
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAMB

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38D: "62. Bouncy part of a trampoline"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
  • Similar words include: make love, kip down, roll in the hay
  • Opposite of: get up, turn out
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BED

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39D: "63. "A drop of golden sun," in song"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a column of light (as from a beacon)
  • Similar words include: beam of light, shaft of light, shaft
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAY

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
39 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

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Last updated: August 19, 2026 at 04:04 AM