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Monday, May 11, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 11, 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. ___ Spiegel (German magazine) 3
2A 4. Animal that ranges around Peru 5
3A 9. Pointed, as a weapon 5
4A 14. Lumberjack's tool 3
5A 15. Cameroon neighbor 5
6A 16. Yell "#$%!" 5
7A 17. Rankings of song popularity used as the music industry standard 15
8A 20. Swells up 6
9A 21. Number in a septet 5
10A 22. Pb, in chemistry 4
11A 23. Own (up) 4
12A 24. Freeze's opposite 4
13A 28. Whirling water 4
14A 29. Up to, as a certain time 3
15A 30. Take fowl foully 5
16A 31. Canapé or deviled egg, for example 11
17A 34. Clears of charges 7
18A 38. A million gazillion 7
19A 39. Movie production facilities with controlled acoustics 11
20A 41. Leave stunned 5
21A 42. Monk's counterpart 3
22A 43. Cut of pork or lamb 4
23A 47. Spa service on the toes, in brief 4
24A 48. "Please, no more!" 4
25A 50. "That is so funny" 4
26A 51. Braid 5
27A 53. Helping for someone very, very hungry 6
28A 55. Insignificant amount 15
29A 59. Tired from overexposure 5
30A 60. "It was the ___ I could do" 5
31A 61. Big part of an elephant 3
32A 62. Storage places for lawn mowers 5
33A 63. Go kaboom, as a volcano 5
34A 64. Deadpan 3

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. ___ Spiegel (German magazine)"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that denoting a quantity consisting of 500 items or units
  • Similar words include: five hundred, d, 500
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "4. Animal that ranges around Peru"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wild or domesticated south american cud-chewing animal related to camels but smaller and lacking a hump
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LLAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Pointed, as a weapon"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
  • Similar words include: purpose, point, aim
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIMED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Lumberjack's tool"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
  • Similar words include: ax
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AXE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Cameroon neighbor"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic on the west coast of africa
  • Similar words include: Gabun, Gabonese Republic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GABON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Yell "#$%!""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that utter obscenities or profanities
  • Similar words include: curse, affirm, depose
  • Opposite of: mistrust
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Rankings of song popularity used as the music industry standard"

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BILLBOARDCHARTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Swells up"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that swelling of the rumen or intestinal tract of domestic animals caused by excessive gas
  • Similar words include: bloat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLOATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Number in a septet"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
  • Similar words include: sevener, 7, septet
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEVEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Pb, in chemistry"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an advantage held by a competitor in a race
  • Similar words include: atomic number 82, tether, pass
  • Opposite of: follow, deficit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Own (up)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (heraldry) an ordinary consisting of a broad horizontal band across a shield
  • Similar words include: Fes, fesse, Fez
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Freeze's opposite"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
  • Similar words include: unfreeze, melting, dethaw
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "28. Whirling water"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that founder of christian science in 1866 (1821-1910)
  • Similar words include: Mary Baker Eddy, swirl, Mary Morse Baker Eddy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDDY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Up to, as a certain time"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Take fowl foully"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that hunt illegally
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POACH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Canapé or deviled egg, for example"

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Clears of charges"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  • Similar words include: behave, carry, acquit
  • Opposite of: convict
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACQUITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. A million gazillion"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that innumerable but many
  • Similar words include: umteen
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UMPTEEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "39. Movie production facilities with controlled acoustics"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Leave stunned"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that affect with wonder
  • Similar words include: flummox, puzzle, beat
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMAZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Monk's counterpart"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a woman religious
  • Similar words include: nun buoy, conical buoy
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. Cut of pork or lamb"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the irregular motion of waves (usually caused by wind blowing in a direction opposite to the tide)
  • Similar words include: chopper, hack, chop up
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "47. Spa service on the toes, in brief"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. "Please, no more!""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the event of something ending
  • Similar words include: full point, cease, block off
  • Opposite of: begin, start
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "50. "That is so funny""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Braid"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
  • Similar words include: tress, braid, pleat
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLAIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "53. Helping for someone very, very hungry"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
  • Similar words include: tierce, third base, third gear
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THIRDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "55. Insignificant amount"

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DROPINTHEBUCKET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "59. Tired from overexposure"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lose interest or become bored with something or somebody
  • Similar words include: weary, fag, jade
  • Opposite of: refresh
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JADED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "60. "It was the ___ I could do""

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that is of no importance
  • Similar words include: to the lowest degree
  • Opposite of: most
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "61. Big part of an elephant"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "62. Storage places for lawn mowers"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage
  • Similar words include: throw off, drop, moult
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHEDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "63. Go kaboom, as a volcano"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that start abruptly
  • Similar words include: push through, irrupt, ignite
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERUPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "64. Deadpan"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
  • Similar words include: juiceless, teetotal, ironic
  • Opposite of: sweet, phlegmy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Practice casually, with "in" 6
2D 2. Kicked out, as from a country 6
3D 3. Fill with more ammunition 6
4D 4. Pride letters 4
5D 5. Vientiane is its capital 4
6D 6. Lawyers' org. 3
7D 7. Tasty little bites 7
8D 8. Peruvian mountains 5
9D 9. Tennis star Arthur 4
10D 10. "Don't involve me anymore" 8
11D 11. French for "sea" 3
12D 12. Gobble down 3
13D 13. Medical pros: Abbr. 3
14D 18. Noblewoman 4
15D 19. Rival of Walgreens 3
16D 23. Winning a blue ribbon 5
17D 25. Possess 4
18D 26. Unit initially conceived as the amount of land that can be plowed in a day 4
19D 27. "___ in doubt ..." 4
20D 29. Pre-K enrollees 4
21D 30. Enlivens, with "up" 4
22D 31. ___-and-seek 4
23D 32. Unearthed 5
24D 33. Rain clouds, to some 4
25D 34. Rapper ___ Rocky 4
26D 35. "___ as you are" 4
27D 36. College courtyard 4
28D 37. Opened, as a fly 8
29D 40. Request from someone craving more 7
30D 43. Fashionable 4
31D 44. Listened, poetically 6
32D 45. "Goodness me!" ... or a phonetic hint to 17-, 31-, 39- and 55-Across 6
33D 46. Croissant, éclair or Danish 6
34D 48. The "S" of S.F. 3
35D 49. Mr., Ms. or Mrs. 5
36D 52. Tube tops? 4
37D 53. Recipe amt. 4
38D 54. Jabba the ___ ("Star Wars" villain) 4
39D 55. Party pros playing tunes 3
40D 56. "Go team!" 3
41D 57. Poem of praise 3
42D 58. Contents of l'océan 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Practice casually, with "in""

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid
  • Similar words include: smatter, paddle, splash around
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DABBLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Kicked out, as from a country"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that expel from a country
  • Similar words include: exile, expatriate, deport
  • Opposite of: repatriate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXILED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Fill with more ammunition"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that place a new load on
  • Similar words include: recharge
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RELOAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Pride letters"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Vientiane is its capital"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern asia; achieved independence from france in 1949
  • Similar words include: Laotian, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lao
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Lawyers' org."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth; worn by arabs
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Tasty little bites"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small quantity of anything
  • Similar words include: morsel, bit, bite
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MORSELS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Peruvian mountains"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mountain range in south america running 5000 miles along the pacific coast
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANDES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Tennis star Arthur"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states tennis player who was the first black to win united states and english singles championships (1943-1993)
  • Similar words include: Arthur Ashe, Arthur Robert Ashe
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASHE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. "Don't involve me anymore""

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. French for "sea""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000 items or units
  • Similar words include: one thousand, thousand, 1000
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Gobble down"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take in solid food
  • Similar words include: feed, run through, exhaust
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Medical pros: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Noblewoman"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a polite name for any woman
  • Similar words include: noblewoman, ma'am, madam
  • Opposite of: Lord, nobleman
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LADY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Rival of Walgreens"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a summary of your academic and work history
  • Similar words include: resume, CV, curriculum vitae
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CVS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Winning a blue ribbon"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the first or highest in an ordering or series
  • Similar words include: offset, first of all, world-class
  • Opposite of: middle, last
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIRST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Possess"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who possesses great material wealth
  • Similar words include: make, give, birth
  • Opposite of: abstain, refuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Unit initially conceived as the amount of land that can be plowed in a day"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in english-speaking countries
  • Similar words include: Akko, Akka, Accho
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. "___ in doubt ...""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Pre-K enrollees"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small amount (especially of a drink)
  • Similar words include: tot up, summate, tally
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Enlivens, with "up""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that liveliness and energy
  • Similar words include: peppiness, pep, ginger
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. ___-and-seek"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)
  • Similar words include: obliterate, hide out, enshroud
  • Opposite of: show
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. Unearthed"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "33. Rain clouds, to some"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sign of something about to happen
  • Similar words include: presage, predict, forecast
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "34. Rapper ___ Rocky"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that as soon as possible
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "35. "___ as you are""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
  • Similar words include: descend, ejaculate, fare
  • Opposite of: go, leave
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "36. College courtyard"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of four children born at the same time from the same pregnancy
  • Similar words include: quadriceps, musculus quadriceps femoris, quadrangle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: QUAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "37. Opened, as a fly"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that open the zipper of
  • Similar words include: unzip
  • Opposite of: zip up
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNZIPPED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "40. Request from someone craving more"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various alternatives; some other
  • Similar words include: some other
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANOTHER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "43. Fashionable"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that elegance by virtue of being fashionable
  • Similar words include: chichi, stylishness, last word
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "44. Listened, poetically"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that listen; used mostly in the imperative
  • Similar words include: harken, hearken, hark
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARKED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "45. "Goodness me!" ... or a phonetic hint to 17-, 31-, 39- and 55-Across"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "46. Croissant, éclair or Danish"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dough of flour and water and shortening
  • Similar words include: pastry dough
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTRY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "48. The "S" of S.F."

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "49. Mr., Ms. or Mrs."

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
  • Similar words include: entitle, deed of conveyance, claim
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TITLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. Tube tops?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
  • Similar words include: palpebra, chapeau, lid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "53. Recipe amt."

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "54. Jabba the ___ ("Star Wars" villain)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "55. Party pros playing tunes"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who announces and plays popular recorded music
  • Similar words include: dj, disk-jockey, disc jockey
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DJS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "56. "Go team!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "57. Poem of praise"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "58. Contents of l'océan"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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

34 Across Clues
42 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

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Last updated: May 11, 2026 at 06:54 AM

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 11, 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. Lewis Carroll's "The ___ and the Carpenter" 6
2A 7. Something you might leave at the front door when entering a house 4
3A 11. "Yeah, right!" 4
4A 15. Quantity 6
5A 16. Words from someone who failed to understand 9
6A 18. "Oh, for heaven's sake!" 16
7A 20. Show contempt for, in a way 7
8A 21. Rain delay coverings 5
9A 22. Poet's dusk 3
10A 23. Mystical stuff 6
11A 26. "We don't discriminate in this workplace," in job ads 3
12A 29. Newfoundland or Labrador retriever 8
13A 31. Transcript fig. 3
14A 34. Openly resists 6
15A 36. "Then, window, let day in, and let ___ out": Juliet 4
16A 37. Smile broadly 4
17A 38. Arduous routine 5
18A 39. Get smart? 4
19A 40. "Priscilla" director Coppola 5
20A 41. How a German count might get started 4
21A 42. Swampy land 4
22A 43. Does the dishes? 6
23A 44. Complete collection 3
24A 45. Hoped-for prognosis for an election incumbent 8
25A 47. Twisty curve 3
26A 48. Spews out 6
27A 50. Big name in nail polish 3
28A 51. One-named singer with the 2017 platinum album "Melodrama" 5
29A 53. Trap 7
30A 57. 1957 rock 'n' roll classic suggested by this puzzle's circled letters 16
31A 62. Crème de la crème 9
32A 63. Prom, e.g. 6
33A 64. Iconic bit of NPR merch 4
34A 65. Confront 4
35A 66. Puts icing on 6

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Lewis Carroll's "The ___ and the Carpenter""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory tusks and tough hide over thick blubber
  • Similar words include: seahorse, sea horse
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WALRUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "7. Something you might leave at the front door when entering a house"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
  • Similar words include: skid, horseshoe, brake shoe
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. "Yeah, right!""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. Quantity"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quantity of money
  • Similar words include: add up, amount of money, number
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. Words from someone who failed to understand"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. "Oh, for heaven's sake!""

16 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOODNESSGRACIOUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "20. Show contempt for, in a way"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "21. Rain delay coverings"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Poet's dusk"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Mystical stuff"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that information known only to a special group
  • Similar words include: arcanum, secret
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCANA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "26. "We don't discriminate in this workplace," in job ads"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "29. Newfoundland or Labrador retriever"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "31. Transcript fig."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted
  • Similar words include: grade point average
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GPA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "34. Openly resists"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that resist or confront with resistance
  • Similar words include: dare, refuse, defy
  • Opposite of: lend oneself
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEFIES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "36. "Then, window, let day in, and let ___ out": Juliet"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a characteristic state or mode of living
  • Similar words include: spirit, animation, life story
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIFE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "37. Smile broadly"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
  • Similar words include: broadcast, transmit, irradiation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "38. Arduous routine"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an insignificant student who is ridiculed as being affected or boringly studious
  • Similar words include: crunch, moil, dig
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRIND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "39. Get smart?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an impudent or insolent rejoinder
  • Similar words include: back talk, lip, backtalk
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. "Priscilla" director Coppola"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capital and largest city of bulgaria located in western bulgaria
  • Similar words include: Serdica, Bulgarian capital
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. How a German count might get started"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Swampy land"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
  • Similar words include: bog down, grind to a halt, quagmire
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. Does the dishes?"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance
  • Similar words include: ply, supply, cater
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CATERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Complete collection"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
  • Similar words include: Seth, lay out, typeset
  • Opposite of: rise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Hoped-for prognosis for an election incumbent"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "47. Twisty curve"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
  • Similar words include: Es, atomic number 99, einsteinium
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "48. Spews out"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that put out or expel from a place
  • Similar words include: turf out, expel, eject
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EJECTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. Big name in nail polish"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "51. One-named singer with the 2017 platinum album "Melodrama""

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. Trap"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take or catch as if in a snare or trap
  • Similar words include: trammel, entrap, frame
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENSNARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "57. 1957 rock 'n' roll classic suggested by this puzzle's circled letters"

16 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GREATBALLSOFFIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "62. Crème de la crème"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "63. Prom, e.g."

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lavish dance requiring formal attire
  • Similar words include: courtly, schematic, dinner gown
  • Opposite of: informal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORMAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "64. Iconic bit of NPR merch"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a capacious bag or basket
  • Similar words include: lug, tote bag, tug
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "65. Confront"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
  • Similar words include: grimace, human face, confront
  • Opposite of: avoid, back
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "66. Puts icing on"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
  • Similar words include: icing, ice, freeze
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FROSTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Tail or finger motion 3
2D 2. Andy's partner in an old radio sitcom 4
3D 3. State bird of Minnesota 4
4D 4. Ill-mannered 4
5D 5. Superfluous 8
6D 6. Purchases for some audiophiles 7
7D 7. Part of GPS: Abbr. 4
8D 8. Not share, as the covers 3
9D 9. Taylor Swift's "___ Song" 3
10D 10. She, in São Paulo 3
11D 11. ___ pear (applelike fruit) 5
12D 12. Cost required to stow furniture, say 10
13D 13. "My turn to play!" 4
14D 14. Come clean, with "up" 4
15D 17. Eightsome 5
16D 19. Belted out 4
17D 23. Comes into play 6
18D 24. Play callers? 4
19D 25. It's for "cookie," to Cookie Monster 3
20D 26. Sides 5
21D 27. Inducing goose bumps 5
22D 28. Worth exploring 10
23D 30. Plays at full blast 6
24D 32. What pants come in that shirts don't 5
25D 33. Accumulate 5
26D 35. Useful contacts 3
27D 37. Online automaton 3
28D 39. Search (through) 4
29D 40. Replaced as a substitute 8
30D 42. ___ and cheese 3
31D 43. Finishes with flair 7
32D 45. Take care of, as a task 5
33D 46. Seeming eternities 4
34D 49. Matchmaking site with a "synagogue attendance" filter 5
35D 51. Pride Month letters 4
36D 52. Black-and-white mouthful 4
37D 53. Actress Fanning 4
38D 54. Lead-in to Cuban or Caribbean 4
39D 55. Glasses sans glass 4
40D 56. Q.E.D. part 4
41D 58. Fave pal 3
42D 59. Small battery 3
43D 60. Cousin of Inc. 3
44D 61. Enrollment center? 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Tail or finger motion"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a witty amusing person who makes jokes
  • Similar words include: waggle, wit, shake
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Andy's partner in an old radio sitcom"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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!

3D: "3. State bird of Minnesota"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a worthless lazy fellow
  • Similar words include: addlehead, birdbrain, addle-head
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Ill-mannered"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that socially incorrect in behavior
  • Similar words include: raw, natural, unmannered
  • Opposite of: civil
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Superfluous"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not necessary
  • Similar words include: unnecessary
  • Opposite of: necessary
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNNEEDED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Purchases for some audiophiles"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that reproducer in which two microphones feed two or more loudspeakers to give a three-dimensional effect to the sound
  • Similar words include: stereoscopic photograph, stereophony, stereoscopic picture
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEREOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Part of GPS: Abbr."

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Not share, as the covers"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person regarded as greedy and pig-like
  • Similar words include: hogget, Sus scrofa, hogg
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Taylor Swift's "___ Song""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. She, in São Paulo"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an extreme leftist terrorist group formed in greece in 1971 to oppose the military junta that ruled greece from 1967 to 1974; a revolutionary group opposed to capitalism and imperialism and the united states
  • Similar words include: Revolutionary People's Struggle
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. ___ pear (applelike fruit)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of asia
  • Similar words include: Asiatic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASIAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Cost required to stow furniture, say"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. "My turn to play!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Come clean, with "up""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (heraldry) an ordinary consisting of a broad horizontal band across a shield
  • Similar words include: Fes, Fez, fesse
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "17. Eightsome"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
  • Similar words include: ogdoad, eighter, VIII
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCTAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "19. Belted out"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that north american woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the chinese ginseng
  • Similar words include: blab, Panax quinquefolius, peach
  • Opposite of: keep quiet
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "23. Comes into play"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that come into existence; take on form or shape
  • Similar words include: turn out, go up, bob up
  • Opposite of: turn in, go to bed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARISES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "24. Play callers?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (sports) the chief official (as in boxing or american football) who is expected to ensure fair play
  • Similar words include: referee, ref
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "25. It's for "cookie," to Cookie Monster"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "26. Sides"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the boundary of a surface
  • Similar words include: inch, butt on, sharpness
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDGES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "27. Inducing goose bumps"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
  • Similar words include: eery
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EERIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "28. Worth exploring"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "30. Plays at full blast"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud harsh or strident noise
  • Similar words include: blare, din, clamor
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLARES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "32. What pants come in that shirts don't"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a set of two similar things considered as a unit
  • Similar words include: couplet, brace, pair off
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAIRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "33. Accumulate"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that collect or gather
  • Similar words include: pile up, compile, collect
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "35. Useful contacts"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency in the department of justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the united states
  • Similar words include: inch, indium, IN
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "37. Online automaton"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that botfly larva; typically develops inside the body of a horse or sheep or human
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "39. Search (through)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move as if through a sieve
  • Similar words include: sieve, strain
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "40. Replaced as a substitute"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "42. ___ and cheese"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
  • Similar words include: mack, mackintosh, macintosh
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "43. Finishes with flair"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "45. Take care of, as a task"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "46. Seeming eternities"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the longest division of geological time
  • Similar words include: aeon, eon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EONS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "49. Matchmaking site with a "synagogue attendance" filter"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "51. Pride Month letters"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. Black-and-white mouthful"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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!

37D: "53. Actress Fanning"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "54. Lead-in to Cuban or Caribbean"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rounded thickly curled hairdo
  • Similar words include: Afro hairdo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "55. Glasses sans glass"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
  • Similar words include: brim, rim, flange
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "56. Q.E.D. part"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "58. Fave pal"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "59. Small battery"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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!

43D: "60. Cousin of Inc."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

44D: "61. Enrollment center?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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

35 Across Clues
44 Down Clues
79 Total Clues

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Last updated: February 11, 2026 at 05:15 AM