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Saturday, August 1, 2026

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

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: 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. Dis/cuss? 9
2A 10. Some radio messages, in brief 4
3A 14. Notions 10
4A 16. So-called "Island of a Thousand Temples" 4
5A 17. Festival at the center of the classic novel "Under the Volcano" 15
6A 19. Marching band? 4
7A 20. 21-time Emmy nominee for "All My Children" 10
8A 21. Add color to, perhaps 3
9A 22. Teensy amounts 5
10A 23. Unit on the autobahn, say: Abbr. 3
11A 24. Hwy. overseer, for short 3
12A 25. Wackadoodle 3
13A 27. Wear the same clothes, in slang 4
14A 30. Wirelessly driven toy, for short 5
15A 33. Field whose prospects are looking up? 9
16A 35. Like the 2003 Peace Nobelist Shirin Ebadi 7
17A 37. Some prominent Mexico City murals 7
18A 38. Rabelais character who, as a baby, was fed by 17,913 cows, "for it was impossible to find a nurse sufficient for him in all the country" 9
19A 40. "Shoot" 5
20A 41. Basilica setting for Bernini's Throne of Saint Peter 4
21A 42. Even so 3
22A 43. C-section sections 3
23A 44. Menopause treatment option, in brief 3
24A 46. Full of hot gossip 5
25A 48. Base unit 3
26A 51. Incredible, in modern parlance 10
27A 54. Erin's onetime love interest on "The Office" 4
28A 55. Attire for a ceremony at Westminster Abbey 15
29A 57. Bearing 4
30A 58. Fulfilled a business obligation 10
31A 59. "What ___?" 4
32A 60. Upset tummy, medically speaking 9

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Dis/cuss?"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "10. Some radio messages, in brief"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "14. Notions"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "16. So-called "Island of a Thousand Temples""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an island in indonesia to the east of java; striking volcanic scenery; culture is known for elaborate dances and rituals and for handicrafts
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BALI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. Festival at the center of the classic novel "Under the Volcano""

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "19. Marching band?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
  • Similar words include: ant, pismire, emmet
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "20. 21-time Emmy nominee for "All My Children""

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "21. Add color to, perhaps"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Teensy amounts"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slight but appreciable amount
  • Similar words include: soupcon, mite, jot
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MITES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Unit on the autobahn, say: Abbr."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the ratio of the distance traveled (in kilometers) to the time spent traveling (in hours)
  • Similar words include: km/h, kilometers per hour, kilometres per hour
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KPH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Hwy. overseer, for short"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very small circular shape
  • Similar words include: Zen, dose, window pane
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Wackadoodle"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that usually large hard-shelled seed
  • Similar words include: junkie, testis, crank
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Wear the same clothes, in slang"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
  • Similar words include: pair, matching, Gemini
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Wirelessly driven toy, for short"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Field whose prospects are looking up?"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole
  • Similar words include: uranology
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASTRONOMY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. Like the 2003 Peace Nobelist Shirin Ebadi"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of iran
  • Similar words include: Iranian language, Irani, Persian
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRANIAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "37. Some prominent Mexico City murals"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that socialist mexican painter of murals (1886-1957)
  • Similar words include: Rivera, Diego Rivera
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIVERAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. Rabelais character who, as a baby, was fed by 17,913 cows, "for it was impossible to find a nurse sufficient for him in all the country""

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a voracious giant in francois rabelais' book of the same name
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GARGANTUA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. "Shoot""

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. Basilica setting for Bernini's Throne of Saint Peter"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a domed or vaulted recess or projection on a building especially the east end of a church; usually contains the altar
  • Similar words include: apsis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Even so"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that up to the present time
  • Similar words include: until now, as yet, nonetheless
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. C-section sections"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in northwestern united states on the pacific
  • Similar words include: Beaver State, surgery, OR
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Menopause treatment option, in brief"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that hormones (estrogen and progestin) are given to postmenopausal women; believed to protect them from heart disease and osteoporosis
  • Similar words include: hormone replacement therapy, hormone-replacement therapy
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HRT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Full of hot gossip"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (informal british) sexually attractive
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DISHY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "48. Base unit"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Incredible, in modern parlance"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "54. Erin's onetime love interest on "The Office""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "55. Attire for a ceremony at Westminster Abbey"

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "57. Bearing"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dignified manner or conduct
  • Similar words include: bearing, presence, comportment
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "58. Fulfilled a business obligation"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "59. "What ___?""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Upset tummy, medically speaking"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea
  • Similar words include: indigestion, stomach upset, upset stomach
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DYSPEPSIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Frank Costanza or Morty Seinfeld, e.g. 5
2D 2. Precipitous? 5
3D 3. Source of some classic rock bands 5
4D 4. Brewski 4
5D 5. Part of a giggle 3
6D 6. Cheese named after a Prussian town near the Baltic coast 6
7D 7. Result of bad service, maybe 5
8D 8. Dials down 7
9D 9. Ancient text whose Sanskrit title means "Principles of Love" 9
10D 10. Opposite of verbosity 10
11D 11. A little of this and that 9
12D 12. Group of like-minded individuals 4
13D 13. Enthusiastic approval abroad 4
14D 15. Amar'e Stoudemire, for his first eight seasons in the N.B.A. 3
15D 18. Bugling game 3
16D 22. Durin's burial place in "The Lord of the Rings" 5
17D 24. Red light district? 10
18D 26. Angular opening? 3
19D 28. Divinely appointed successor of Muhammad, in Shia Islam 4
20D 29. The Big Board of Wall St. 4
21D 30. Capital on the mouth of the Daugava River 4
22D 31. Losing roll 4
23D 32. Alternatives to some rentals 9
24D 33. Showed up earlier than 9
25D 34. Egg maker 5
26D 36. "Your choice" 3
27D 39. Sewerage, for example 7
28D 43. Sassy response to a put-down 6
29D 45. Pearl Jam's debut album, which went 13x platinum 3
30D 47. Dinners in sties 5
31D 48. Los ___ (Mexican tourist destination) 5
32D 49. Manuscript marks 5
33D 50. Unit equal to one weber per square meter 5
34D 51. Fictional maker of Rocket-Powered Roller Skates and Dehydrated Boulders 4
35D 52. Participate in drudgery 4
36D 53. "Kapow!" 3
37D 54. Snack in a sack in a backpack 4
38D 56. Deli selection 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Frank Costanza or Morty Seinfeld, e.g."

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Precipitous?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of weather) wet by periods of rain
  • Similar words include: showery
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAINY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Source of some classic rock bands"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an impure form of quartz consisting of banded chalcedony; used as a gemstone and for making mortars and pestles
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Brewski"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the froth produced by soaps or detergents
  • Similar words include: spume, froth, lather
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Part of a giggle"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Cheese named after a Prussian town near the Baltic coast"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Result of bad service, maybe"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Dials down"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that decrease in size, extent, or range
  • Similar words include: diminish, subside, decrease
  • Opposite of: increase
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LESSENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Ancient text whose Sanskrit title means "Principles of Love""

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (hinduism) an ancient sanskrit text giving rules for sensuous and sensual pleasure and love and marriage in accordance with hindu law
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KAMASUTRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Opposite of verbosity"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an abrupt discourteous manner
  • Similar words include: steepness, precipitateness, precipitancy
  • Opposite of: gradualness
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABRUPTNESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. A little of this and that"

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a theory or argument made up of miscellaneous or incongruous ideas
  • Similar words include: patchwork quilt, hodgepodge, jumble
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PATCHWORK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Group of like-minded individuals"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a group of countries in special alliance
  • Similar words include: axis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLOC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Enthusiastic approval abroad"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. Amar'e Stoudemire, for his first eight seasons in the N.B.A."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
  • Similar words include: sunshine, insolate, sunlight
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "18. Bugling game"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called `elk' in europe and `moose' in north america
  • Similar words include: moose, Alces alces, red deer
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "22. Durin's burial place in "The Lord of the Rings""

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Red light district?"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Angular opening?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Divinely appointed successor of Muhammad, in Shia Islam"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (islam) the man who leads prayers in a mosque; for shiites an imam is a recognized authority on islamic theology and law and a spiritual guide
  • Similar words include: imaum
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. The Big Board of Wall St."

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a stock exchange in new york
  • Similar words include: big board, N. Y. Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NYSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Capital on the mouth of the Daugava River"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a port city on the gulf of riga that is the capital and largest city of latvia; formerly a member of the hanseatic league
  • Similar words include: capital of Latvia
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIGA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "31. Losing roll"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that obscene terms for feces
  • Similar words include: shit, bullshit, defecate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "32. Alternatives to some rentals"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "33. Showed up earlier than"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be earlier in time; go back further
  • Similar words include: precede, forego, predate
  • Opposite of: postdate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTEDATED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "34. Egg maker"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the organ that bears the ovules of a flower
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVARY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "36. "Your choice""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. Sewerage, for example"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
  • Similar words include: usefulness, public utility company, service program
  • Opposite of: inutility, uselessness
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTILITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Sassy response to a put-down"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Pearl Jam's debut album, which went 13x platinum"

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: x, ten-spot, 10
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Dinners in sties"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk
  • Similar words include: spill, splatter, swill
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. Los ___ (Mexican tourist destination)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Manuscript marks"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Unit equal to one weber per square meter"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Fictional maker of Rocket-Powered Roller Skates and Dehydrated Boulders"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
  • Similar words include: pinnacle, top, peak
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Participate in drudgery"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be agitated
  • Similar words include: dig, fag, grind
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "53. "Kapow!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ancient city in southeastern iran; destroyed by an earthquake in 2003
  • Similar words include: eruption, bang, blast
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "54. Snack in a sack in a backpack"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "56. Deli selection"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seed of the cereal grass
  • Similar words include: Secale cereale, rye whisky, rye whiskey
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RYE

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

32 Across Clues
38 Down Clues
70 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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

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Last updated: August 01, 2026 at 06:12 AM

Thursday, July 23, 2026

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

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky

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

Across Clues - Complete List

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

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

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

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "10. Scruff of the neck"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "13. Fondita offerings"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Pollution portmanteau"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
  • Similar words include: smogginess
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. Really peeved"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Outfitted"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "25. Password preceder"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "27. Passover month"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "29. ___-turvy"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. Downed"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Part in a play"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Not much"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. Last hurrah"

8 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Trials by fire"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. Ignominious outcome"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "63. Not admit"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

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

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Agnus ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Not just any"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Single-masted vessels"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sweet or sour"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Podcast interruptions"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Frequent forecast in Seattle"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Strong suit?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Unleavened South Asian flatbread"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. Budding"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "22. Increased"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "24. Forensic facilities"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "28. Coffee or tea specification"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. Unleavened South Asian flatbread"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "33. Like granola"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "34. Unnamed article"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Ill-prepared"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. Come together"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta associated with old age and hypertension
  • Similar words include: abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AAA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "45. Infuriate"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "47. Crinkly fabric"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "48. Extension"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "50. Totally bizarre"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. Places to get masks"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "57. Handful"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "58. Long stretch"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "60. Gospel musician Tribbett"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

33 Across Clues
41 Down Clues
74 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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