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Thursday, August 13, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 13, 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. Take a quick turn 3
2A 4. Sound from a monitor 4
3A 8. One who's definitely not being invited to the party 6
4A 14. Letters indicating a texter's P.O.V. 3
5A 15. Fried side dish with catfish, perhaps 4
6A 16. Cough drop brand whose name is yodeled in its commercials 6
7A 17. Mafia members, e.g. 8
8A 19. Gave a talking to? 6
9A 20. Tiptoed, say 5
10A 21. Bamboozle 5
11A 23. Michigan, in Chicago: Abbr. 3
12A 24. Messenger 6
13A 26. Alimony recipients, say 9
14A 28. Boil ... or a sign of boiling 5
15A 30. Important travel info, in brief 4
16A 31. Dessert often eaten before the ides of March 3
17A 33. Hold up 5
18A 35. "Light" weapon 5
19A 39. Verbalized shivers 4
20A 41. Drinks at a pub 4
21A 43. Kind of bean used in Egyptian falafel 4
22A 44. ___ Ingebrigtsen, track gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics 5
23A 46. Teary-eyed expression 5
24A 48. In need of training, say 3
25A 49. Collect over and over, as resources in a video game 4
26A 51. Pass, as time doing something 5
27A 53. 11th of a noted 12 8
28A 57. Was especially wintry 6
29A 60. Part of a slider 3
30A 61. ___ Roy, "Succession" role for which Kieran Culkin won an Emmy 5
31A 63. "It is not enough to be industrious; ___ the ants": Henry David Thoreau 5
32A 64. Smallest member of the genus Lynx 6
33A 66. Evaluating, as an opponent ... or a hint to "fitting" the answers to the italicized clues into the grid 8
34A 68. Uncommon color on the red carpet 6
35A 69. Draw together, as brows 4
36A 70. Decline cookies, say, with "out" 3
37A 71. Soaked up the sun 6
38A 72. ___ Pictures (media giant) 4
39A 73. Last term in a math lecture series? 3

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Take a quick turn"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an angular shape characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions
  • Similar words include: zig, zigzag
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ZAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "4. Sound from a monitor"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short high tone produced as a signal or warning
  • Similar words include: blare, toot, claxon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEEP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "8. One who's definitely not being invited to the party"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is rejected (from society or home)
  • Similar words include: Ishmael, outcast, castaway
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARIAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Letters indicating a texter's P.O.V."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Fried side dish with catfish, perhaps"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long green edible beaked pods of the okra plant
  • Similar words include: okra plant, gumbo, lady's-finger
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OKRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Cough drop brand whose name is yodeled in its commercials"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Mafia members, e.g."

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a criminal who is a member of gang
  • Similar words include: gangster, mobster
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOBSTERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Gave a talking to?"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that talk pompously
  • Similar words include: orate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORATED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Tiptoed, say"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
  • Similar words include: cringe, mouse, cower
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CREPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Bamboozle"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled
  • Similar words include: pulpit, rostrum, ambo
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Michigan, in Chicago: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Messenger"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (formal) a person who announces important news
  • Similar words include: forerunner, trumpeter, precursor
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HERALD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Alimony recipients, say"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Boil ... or a sign of boiling"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Important travel info, in brief"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a system for screening luggage in airports; an agent passes a swab around or inside luggage and then runs the swab through a machine that can detect trace amounts of explosives
  • Similar words include: explosive trace detection, ETD
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Dessert often eaten before the ides of March"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top
  • Similar words include: Proto-Indo European
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "33. Hold up"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a compartment in a stable where a single animal is confined and fed
  • Similar words include: stand, stalling, shillyshally
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STALL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. "Light" weapon"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fencing sword with a v-shaped blade and a slightly curved handle
  • Similar words include: sabre, cavalry sword
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SABER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "39. Verbalized shivers"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Drinks at a pub"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the united states an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
  • Similar words include: ale
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "43. Kind of bean used in Egyptian falafel"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "44. ___ Ingebrigtsen, track gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "46. Teary-eyed expression"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. In need of training, say"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
  • Similar words include: newfangled, novel, newly
  • Opposite of: worn, old
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. Collect over and over, as resources in a video game"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that workplace consisting of farm buildings and cultivated land as a unit
  • Similar words include: grow, raise, produce
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Pass, as time doing something"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that pass time in a specific way
  • Similar words include: pass, drop, expend
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "53. 11th of a noted 12"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in aquarius
  • Similar words include: Aquarius the Water Bearer, Water Bearer
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AQUARIUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "57. Was especially wintry"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fall as snow
  • Similar words include: snow, bamboozle, lead by the nose
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOWED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "60. Part of a slider"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small rounded bread either plain or sweet
  • Similar words include: roll
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "61. ___ Roy, "Succession" role for which Kieran Culkin won an Emmy"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a resident of modern rome
  • Similar words include: romish, popish, papistic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROMAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "63. "It is not enough to be industrious; ___ the ants": Henry David Thoreau"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "64. Smallest member of the genus Lynx"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small lynx of north america
  • Similar words include: Lynx rufus, bay lynx
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOBCAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "66. Evaluating, as an opponent ... or a hint to "fitting" the answers to the italicized clues into the grid"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "68. Uncommon color on the red carpet"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
  • Similar words include: orangeness, orange tree, Orange River
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORANGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "69. Draw together, as brows"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fabric made by knitting
  • Similar words include: pucker, plain, rumple
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "70. Decline cookies, say, with "out""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that select as an alternative over another
  • Similar words include: choose, prefer
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "71. Soaked up the sun"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that treat skins and hides with tannic acid so as to convert them into leather
  • Similar words include: bronze, suntanned, bronzed
  • Opposite of: untanned
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TANNED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "72. ___ Pictures (media giant)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "73. Last term in a math lecture series?"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that last or greatest in an indefinitely large series
  • Similar words include: n-th
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. 0 5
2D 2. Love of Bologna 5
3D 3. Fly off the handle 9
4D 4. They might have deposits 7
5D 5. Pull (out), as a narrow victory 3
6D 6. Makes an oopsie 4
7D 7. Sticky stuff 5
8D 8. Query for Claude, e.g. 6
9D 9. Apple accessory announced alongside the removal of the iPhone's headphone jack 7
10D 10. Record label owned by 72-Across 3
11D 11. Littlest bits 5
12D 12. Motrin alternative 5
13D 13. Epitome of a hot place 5
14D 18. Reacted to a bad taste, perhaps 4
15D 22. Like a bike without wheels 7
16D 25. "Gold" of the 21st century 4
17D 27. Org. focused on cloud security? 4
18D 29. Five stars on a scale, typically 7
19D 31. Sandwich that may be a bit crunchy, for short 3
20D 32. Apt name for an investor 3
21D 34. A.I. that has been trained with massive amounts of text, in brief 3
22D 36. Something to jump on 9
23D 37. Many a sleepless night 3
24D 38. Untapped, as talent 3
25D 40. Casual gaming site? 4
26D 42. Drains the life out of 4
27D 45. Overwhelming stream 7
28D 47. Compactness 7
29D 50. Ran amok 6
30D 52. Lunchtime, say 4
31D 53. Monastic superior 5
32D 54. Website that describes itself as "a place to share knowledge and better understand the world" 5
33D 55. Allow to post on a forum again, e.g. 5
34D 56. Uses caution while in public during flu season, say 5
35D 58. Go off with a bang 5
36D 59. Consideration when diving 5
37D 62. El ___ 4
38D 65. Channel that pioneered 24-hour TV reporting 3
39D 67. Grape whose "white" wine is actually pink, informally 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. 0"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quantity of no importance
  • Similar words include: null, cipher, zip
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ZILCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Love of Bologna"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Fly off the handle"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. They might have deposits"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
  • Similar words include: bottleful, bottle, feeding bottle
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOTTLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Pull (out), as a narrow victory"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Makes an oopsie"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sticky stuff"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any mixture of a soft and malleable consistency
  • Similar words include: glue, spread, library paste
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Query for Claude, e.g."

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cue given to a performer (usually the beginning of the next line to be spoken)
  • Similar words include: quick, propel, instigate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROMPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Apple accessory announced alongside the removal of the iPhone's headphone jack"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Record label owned by 72-Across"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Littlest bits"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
  • Similar words include: smidgin, smidgen, smidgeon
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IOTAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Motrin alternative"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trademarks aleve and anaprox and aflaxen) that fights pain and inflammation
  • Similar words include: Anaprox, naproxen sodium, Aflaxen
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALEVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Epitome of a hot place"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) the god of the underworld in ancient mythology; brother of zeus and husband of persephone
  • Similar words include: infernal region, Pluto, Hell
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HADES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Reacted to a bad taste, perhaps"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quarrel about petty points
  • Similar words include: spatter, pitter-patter, patter
  • Opposite of: boo
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Like a bike without wheels"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
  • Opposite of: useful
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USELESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. "Gold" of the 21st century"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Org. focused on cloud security?"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the airforce of the united states of america; the agency that defends the united states through control and exploitation of air and space
  • Similar words include: Air Force, US Air Force, United States Air Force
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USAF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "29. Five stars on a scale, typically"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the largest possible quantity
  • Similar words include: uttermost, level best, maximal
  • Opposite of: minimum, minimal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAXIMUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "31. Sandwich that may be a bit crunchy, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "32. Apt name for an investor"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a militant organization of irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive british forces from northern ireland and achieve a united independent ireland
  • Similar words include: wrath, anger, ire
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "34. A.I. that has been trained with massive amounts of text, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an advanced law degree
  • Similar words include: Master of Laws
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LLM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "36. Something to jump on"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a popular trend that attracts growing support
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BANDWAGON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "37. Many a sleepless night"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "38. Untapped, as talent"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal terms for nakedness
  • Similar words include: new, bare-assed, naked as a jaybird
  • Opposite of: cooked
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "40. Casual gaming site?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an upholstered seat for more than one person
  • Similar words include: lounge, couch
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "42. Drains the life out of"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant
  • Similar words include: saphead, sap, muggins
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "45. Overwhelming stream"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written)
  • Similar words include: bombardment, shelling, battery
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BARRAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "47. Compactness"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the amount per unit size
  • Similar words include: concentration, compactness, denseness
  • Opposite of: distribution
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DENSITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "50. Ran amok"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take part in a riot; disturb the public peace by engaging in a riot
  • Similar words include: riot, roister, carouse
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIOTED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "52. Lunchtime, say"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the middle of the day
  • Similar words include: noontide, noonday, midday
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "53. Monastic superior"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the superior of an abbey of monks
  • Similar words include: archimandrite
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABBOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "54. Website that describes itself as "a place to share knowledge and better understand the world""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "55. Allow to post on a forum again, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "56. Uses caution while in public during flu season, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a covering to disguise or conceal the face
  • Similar words include: masquerade party, block out, dissemble
  • Opposite of: unmask
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "58. Go off with a bang"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "59. Consideration when diving"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the extent downward or backward or inward
  • Similar words include: astuteness, profoundness, profundity
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEPTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "62. El ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "65. Channel that pioneered 24-hour TV reporting"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "67. Grape whose "white" wine is actually pink, informally"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 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 13, 2026 at 05:14 AM

Monday, May 25, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 25, 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. Jokes (around) 4
2A 5. Not very spicy 4
3A 9. Super 8 or Red Roof Inn 5
4A 14. Paper cut? 4
5A 15. Big name in laptops 4
6A 16. Public relations concern 5
7A 17. Steamy segment in a movie 9
8A 19. Fruit that makes your lips pucker 5
9A 20. Tennis skirt feature 5
10A 21. Lack of light 8
11A 23. Locale for a plastic flamingo 4
12A 26. Yoga studio essential 3
13A 27. De-tension center? 3
14A 30. Variety of chili that can reach a Scoville score of 1+ million 11
15A 36. European ski destination 4
16A 38. Volcanic spew 3
17A 39. Sample collected by Ancestry.com 6
18A 40. Daily Planet reporter Lois 4
19A 41. Show the ropes 5
20A 43. "___ sesame!" 4
21A 44. Comfortable 6
22A 46. Anguish 3
23A 47. Manage, as a bar 4
24A 48. California national park known for its dryness 11
25A 51. Pigs' digs 3
26A 52. Number starting a countdown 3
27A 53. Sitting on 4
28A 55. Bring dishonor upon 8
29A 60. "I'm sleepy" signals 5
30A 64. Ancient Mexican empire 5
31A 65. 1980s hit with the lyric "Me mind on fire, me soul on fire" ... or how one might describe 17-, 30- and 48-Across? 9
32A 68. Back of a car or front of an elephant 5
33A 69. Orchestral woodwind 4
34A 70. Place of buzziness? 4
35A 71. Most watches have three of these 5
36A 72. Japanese electronics giant 4
37A 73. An estimated 25% of modern phone calls 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Jokes (around)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a young person of either sex
  • Similar words include: child, jolly, kidskin
  • Opposite of: parent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KIDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Not very spicy"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
  • Similar words include: meek, balmy, modest
  • Opposite of: intense
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MILD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Super 8 or Red Roof Inn"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a motor hotel
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOTEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Paper cut?"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Big name in laptops"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Public relations concern"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an iconic mental representation
  • Similar words include: envision, effigy, simulacrum
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Steamy segment in a movie"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Fruit that makes your lips pucker"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
  • Similar words include: lemon yellow, maize, Citrus limon
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEMON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Tennis skirt feature"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various types of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and then pressing or stitching into shape
  • Similar words include: plait, plicate, ruffle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Lack of light"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that absence of light or illumination
  • Similar words include: dark, iniquity, wickedness
  • Opposite of: lightness, light
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DARKNESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Locale for a plastic flamingo"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a field of cultivated and mowed grass
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAWN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. Yoga studio essential"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
  • Similar words include: matted, lusterlessness, matte
  • Opposite of: disentangle, unsnarl
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. De-tension center?"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Variety of chili that can reach a Scoville score of 1+ million"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "36. European ski destination"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large mountain system in south-central europe; scenic beauty and winter sports make them a popular tourist attraction
  • Similar words include: the Alps, alp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "38. Volcanic spew"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the residue that remains when something is burned
  • Similar words include: ash tree
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "39. Sample collected by Ancestry.com"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches
  • Similar words include: spittle, spit
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALIVA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "40. Daily Planet reporter Lois"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a narrow way or road
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "41. Show the ropes"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an english pirate who operated in the caribbean and off the atlantic coast of north america (died in 1718)
  • Similar words include: instruct, learn, Thatch
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEACH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "43. "___ sesame!""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
  • Similar words include: undefendable, receptive, surface
  • Opposite of: fold, closed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "44. Comfortable"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "46. Anguish"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that misery resulting from affliction
  • Similar words include: suffering, woefulness
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "47. Manage, as a bar"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
  • Similar words include: incline, lean, be given
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. California national park known for its dryness"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "51. Pigs' digs"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "52. Number starting a countdown"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
  • Similar words include: decade, x, X
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "53. Sitting on"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that on, to, or at the top
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "55. Bring dishonor upon"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
  • Similar words include: asperse, sully, denigrate
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BESMIRCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "60. "I'm sleepy" signals"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth; usually triggered by fatigue or boredom
  • Similar words include: yaw, oscitancy, yawn
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YAWNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "64. Ancient Mexican empire"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the nahuatl people who established an empire in mexico that was overthrown by cortes in 1519
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AZTEC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "65. 1980s hit with the lyric "Me mind on fire, me soul on fire" ... or how one might describe 17-, 30- and 48-Across?"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "68. Back of a car or front of an elephant"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
  • Similar words include: tree trunk, proboscis, torso
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRUNK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "69. Orchestral woodwind"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slender double-reed instrument; a woodwind with a conical bore and a double-reed mouthpiece
  • Similar words include: hautboy, hautbois
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "70. Place of buzziness?"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a teeming multitude
  • Similar words include: beehive
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "71. Most watches have three of these"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (with `in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
  • Similar words include: helping hand, bridge player, handwriting
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HANDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "72. Japanese electronics giant"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "73. An estimated 25% of modern phone calls"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a canned meat made largely from pork
  • Similar words include: junk e-mail
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Seaweed in an underwater forest 4
2D 2. Revered figure 4
3D 3. Go off the deep end? 4
4D 4. Incredible bargain 5
5D 5. Kraft ___ & Cheese 3
6D 6. Lead-in to maker or breaker 3
7D 7. Give, but expect back 4
8D 8. Experienced during sleep 6
9D 9. Frothy drink often served with boba 7
10D 10. A ladybug landing on you is considered a good one 4
11D 11. Opposite of wild 4
12D 12. Alter ___ (other selves) 4
13D 13. Camera shop purchase 4
14D 18. Adult male deer 4
15D 22. A hardened criminal might have a long one 8
16D 24. "Yeah, yeah" 8
17D 25. Missing part of the Great Sphinx of Giza 4
18D 27. Leafy lunch order 5
19D 28. Piece of armadillo armor 5
20D 29. Common sleep disorder 5
21D 31. Item worn over the shoulders 5
22D 32. "The ___ thickens ..." 4
23D 33. Vocal cords, informally 5
24D 34. Happening 5
25D 35. Singer Newman with the hit "You've Got a Friend in Me" 5
26D 37. Chair or pew 4
27D 42. Coke or Pepsi 4
28D 45. Gimmicky routines 7
29D 49. Dried poblanos used in mole sauce 6
30D 50. Toy on a string 4
31D 54. Trails 5
32D 55. Relaxing soak 4
33D 56. Book just after Ezekiel, alphabetically 4
34D 57. Flabbergast 4
35D 58. Patch up 4
36D 59. Drifter in search of work 4
37D 61. What to do with egg whites when making meringue 4
38D 62. Luminous stellar explosion 4
39D 63. Women in ___ (educational advocacy group) 4
40D 66. Colossal quantity 3
41D 67. "Yoo-hoo!" 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Seaweed in an underwater forest"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large brown seaweeds having fluted leathery fronds
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KELP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Revered figure"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a material effigy that is worshipped
  • Similar words include: god, paragon, graven image
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDOL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Go off the deep end?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall
  • Similar words include: plunk, nosedive, plunge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Incredible bargain"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an advantageous purchase
  • Similar words include: slip, buy, bargain
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Kraft ___ & Cheese"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Lead-in to maker or breaker"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that water frozen in the solid state
  • Similar words include: crank, deoxyephedrine, meth
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Give, but expect back"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that bestow a quality on
  • Similar words include: bring, contribute, add
  • Opposite of: borrow
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Experienced during sleep"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have a daydream; indulge in a fantasy
  • Similar words include: daydream, dream, stargaze
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DREAMT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Frothy drink often served with boba"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. A ladybug landing on you is considered a good one"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Opposite of wild"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that correct by punishment or discipline
  • Similar words include: reclaim, meek, cultivate
  • Opposite of: wild
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Alter ___ (other selves)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others
  • Similar words include: ego, egotism, self
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Camera shop purchase"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images
  • Similar words include: lens of the eye, lense, genus Lens
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Adult male deer"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male deer, especially an adult male red deer
  • Similar words include: grass, hart, rat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. A hardened criminal might have a long one"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. "Yeah, yeah""

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one or some or every or all without specification
  • Similar words include: whatsoever, any
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WHATEVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Missing part of the Great Sphinx of Giza"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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: intrude, poke, scent
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Leafy lunch order"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that food mixtures either arranged on a plate or tossed and served with a moist dressing; usually consisting of or including greens
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Piece of armadillo armor"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
  • Similar words include: crustal plate, home base, home
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Common sleep disorder"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that transient cessation of respiration
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APNEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Item worn over the shoulders"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHAWL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. "The ___ thickens ...""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
  • Similar words include: plot of ground, secret plan, diagram
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Vocal cords, informally"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
  • Similar words include: pipe up, pip, mop up
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIPES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Happening"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that happens at a given place and time
  • Similar words include: issue, case, outcome
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Singer Newman with the hit "You've Got a Friend in Me""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that feeling great sexual desire
  • Similar words include: horny, aroused, turned on
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RANDY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. Chair or pew"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
  • Similar words include: derriere, bum, nates
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "42. Coke or Pepsi"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large genus of african trees bearing kola nuts
  • Similar words include: El Salvadoran colon, Colon, colon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COLA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "45. Gimmicky routines"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (yiddish) a little; a piece
  • Similar words include: schtick, shtick, schtik
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHTICKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "49. Dried poblanos used in mole sauce"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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30D: "50. Toy on a string"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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31D: "54. Trails"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a course of conduct
  • Similar words include: itinerary, path, route
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PATHS

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32D: "55. Relaxing soak"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
  • Similar words include: bathe, bathroom, tub
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BATH

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33D: "56. Book just after Ezekiel, alphabetically"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a jewish priest and scribe sent by the persian king to restore jewish law and worship in jerusalem
  • Similar words include: Book of Ezra
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EZRA

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34D: "57. Flabbergast"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
  • Similar words include: daze, stupefy, sandbag
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUN

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35D: "58. Patch up"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sewing that repairs a worn or torn hole (especially in a garment)
  • Similar words include: doctor, reparation, repair
  • Opposite of: break
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEND

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36D: "59. Drifter in search of work"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a disreputable vagrant
  • Similar words include: bum, tramp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOBO

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37D: "61. What to do with egg whites when making meringue"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an instrument with a handle and a flexible lash that is used for whipping
  • Similar words include: welt, trounce, pip
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WHIP

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38D: "62. Luminous stellar explosion"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOVA

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39D: "63. Women in ___ (educational advocacy group)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
  • Similar words include: stalk, shank, stem turn
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEM

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40D: "66. Colossal quantity"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a united states unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds
  • Similar words include: net ton, long ton, short ton
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TON

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41D: "67. "Yoo-hoo!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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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
41 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

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Last updated: May 25, 2026 at 08:04 AM