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Showing posts sorted by date for query steal. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers September 08, 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. Prized gem in Chinese culture 4
2A 5. Long (for) 4
3A 9. Wise one 4
4A 13. Lyft competitor 4
5A 14. Trims, say 5
6A 16. Bullet point on an agenda 4
7A 17. ___ Scotia 4
8A 18. Actress Judi with an Oscar and a Tony 5
9A 19. Hawaiian bird with a reduplicative name 4
10A 20. Smooths (over) 7
11A 22. Pest at a comedy club 7
12A 24. Soda bottle units 6
13A 25. Food court locale 4
14A 26. "This American Life" host Glass 3
15A 27. Suffix in the names of many languages 3
16A 28. "Please don't go!" 4
17A 30. French cosmetics company founded in 1909 6
18A 32. "For ___ a jolly good fellow ..." 3
19A 34. Crafts' partner 4
20A 36. "A Whole New ___" ("Aladdin" song) 5
21A 37. CVS rival ... or a phonetic hint to the answers on this puzzle's perimeter 9
22A 40. "What a shame!" 5
23A 43. Chopped down 4
24A 44. Broody music genre 3
25A 47. Hardest substance in the human body 6
26A 49. Aide: Abbr. 4
27A 51. Sound from a pound 3
28A 53. Energy-carrying chemical found in all living things, in brief 3
29A 54. Santa makes one 4
30A 56. Pompadour or pigtails 6
31A 58. "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the ___ one of all?" 7
32A 60. Site of a paper jam 7
33A 61. Milkshake flavor 4
34A 62. ___ dish (lab item) 5
35A 64. Father 4
36A 65. "___ I a Woman?" (Sojourner Truth speech) 4
37A 66. Plastic wrap brand 5
38A 67. Colleges, to Aussies 4
39A 68. Stuff growing on a tree trunk 4
40A 69. Acidic ingredient in guacamole 4
41A 70. Money maker 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Prized gem in Chinese culture"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a semiprecious gemstone that takes a high polish; is usually green but sometimes whitish; consists of jadeite or nephrite
  • Similar words include: hussy, wear, fornicatress
  • Opposite of: refresh
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Long (for)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a coniferous tree
  • Similar words include: yen, languish, yearn
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Wise one"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom
  • Similar words include: sage-green, salvia
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. Lyft competitor"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. Trims, say"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting
  • Similar words include: redact, edit, blue-pencil
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Bullet point on an agenda"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list
  • Similar words include: token, detail, particular
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITEM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. ___ Scotia"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Actress Judi with an Oscar and a Tony"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Hawaiian bird with a reduplicative name"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Smooths (over)"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text
  • Similar words include: colour, polish, semblance
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GLOSSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Pest at a comedy club"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who tries to embarrass you with gibes and questions and objections
  • Similar words include: badgerer
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HECKLER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Soda bottle units"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
  • Similar words include: cubic decimetre, cubic decimeter, litre
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LITERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Food court locale"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
  • Similar words include: promenade, shopping centre, center
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MALL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "26. "This American Life" host Glass"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

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: individual retirement account, Provos, anger
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "27. Suffix in the names of many languages"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the compass point midway between east and southeast
  • Similar words include: east southeast
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "28. "Please don't go!""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that continuing or remaining in a place or state
  • Similar words include: appease, quell, persist
  • Opposite of: depart, change
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "30. French cosmetics company founded in 1909"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "32. "For ___ a jolly good fellow ...""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in texas and kansas)
  • Similar words include: helium, atomic number 2, He
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. Crafts' partner"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)
  • Similar words include: artistic creation, humanistic discipline, nontextual matter
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "36. "A Whole New ___" ("Aladdin" song)"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that everything that exists anywhere
  • Similar words include: existence, humanity, reality
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WORLD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "37. CVS rival ... or a phonetic hint to the answers on this puzzle's perimeter"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. "What a shame!""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "43. Chopped down"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make or shape as with an axe
  • Similar words include: hew out, hew, hand-hewn
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEWN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Broody music genre"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "47. Hardest substance in the human body"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth
  • Similar words include: tooth enamel
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENAMEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "49. Aide: Abbr."

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "51. Sound from a pound"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "53. Energy-carrying chemical found in all living things, in brief"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a nucleotide derived from adenosine that occurs in muscle tissue; the major source of energy for cellular reactions
  • Similar words include: adenosine triphosphate
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "54. Santa makes one"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a database containing an ordered array of items (names or topics)
  • Similar words include: heel, listing, lean
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "56. Pompadour or pigtails"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the arrangement of the hair (especially a woman's hair)
  • Similar words include: coiffure, hair style, coif
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAIRDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "58. "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the ___ one of all?""

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
  • Similar words include: mediocre, bonny, sightly
  • Opposite of: foul, unfair
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAIREST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Site of a paper jam"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone whose occupation is printing
  • Similar words include: printing machine, pressman
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRINTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "61. Milkshake flavor"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that chocolate cookie with white cream filling
  • Similar words include: oreo cookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OREO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "62. ___ dish (lab item)"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "64. Father"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a title of address formerly used for a man of rank and authority
  • Similar words include: generate, engender, bring forth
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "65. "___ I a Woman?" (Sojourner Truth speech)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "66. Plastic wrap brand"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various thermoplastic resins used to make things
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "67. Colleges, to Aussies"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "68. Stuff growing on a tree trunk"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "69. Acidic ingredient in guacamole"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a caustic substance produced by heating limestone
  • Similar words include: linden, lime hydrate, calcium oxide
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41A: "70. Money maker"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
  • Similar words include: hatful, strike, great deal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Jaguar's home 6
2D 2. Totally ban 7
3D 3. Faithful follower 7
4D 4. Clear, as a board 5
5D 5. Base of a statue 8
6D 6. March 15, e.g. 4
7D 7. Diarist AnaΓ―s 3
8D 8. ___ Sketch (classic drawing toy) 5
9D 9. Kitchen fixture that might have a double or single basin 4
10D 10. Artist's workshop 7
11D 11. Army leader 7
12D 12. May birthstone 7
13D 15. Shape of conchiglie pasta 5
14D 21. Cohort above jrs. 3
15D 23. Ronald McDonald, e.g. 5
16D 25. "This one's on me!" 7
17D 29. Cry of frustration 4
18D 31. "Titanic" heroine 4
19D 33. Did the backstroke, say 4
20D 35. Works with a needle 4
21D 38. One-named "Hello" singer 5
22D 39. Induct into a hall of fame, perhaps 8
23D 40. Froth seen at the beach 7
24D 41. Most populous Canadian province 7
25D 42. 2014 nonfiction best seller subtitled "A Brief History of Humankind" 7
26D 45. "Shaken, not stirred" drink 7
27D 46. Use DoorDash or Grubhub, e.g. 7
28D 48. Some speech impediments 5
29D 50. ___ chi (Chinese martial art) 3
30D 52. Not see the ___ for the trees 6
31D 55. Amazing bargain 5
32D 57. "To recap ..." 5
33D 59. Decays 4
34D 60. British baby carriage 4
35D 63. The first "T" in TNT 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Jaguar's home"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival
  • Similar words include: hobo camp
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JUNGLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Totally ban"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that do away with
  • Similar words include: get rid of
  • Opposite of: establish
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABOLISH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Faithful follower"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ardent follower and admirer
  • Similar words include: buff, fan, lover
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEVOTEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Clear, as a board"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove from memory or existence
  • Similar words include: score out, wipe out, rub out
  • Opposite of: record
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Base of a statue"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a support or foundation
  • Similar words include: plinth, stand, base
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEDESTAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. March 15, e.g."

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in the roman calendar: the 15th of march or may or july or october or the 13th of any other month
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Diarist AnaΓ―s"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. ___ Sketch (classic drawing toy)"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Kitchen fixture that might have a double or single basin"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
  • Similar words include: bury, swallow hole, sump
  • Opposite of: source, float
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Artist's workshop"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a studio especially for an artist or designer
  • Similar words include: artist's workroom
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATELIER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Army leader"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general officer of the highest rank
  • Similar words include: superior general, ecumenical, cosmopolitan
  • Opposite of: particular, specific
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GENERAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. May birthstone"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a green transparent form of beryl; highly valued as a gemstone
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMERALD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "15. Shape of conchiglie pasta"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
  • Similar words include: casing, scale, vanquish
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Cohort above jrs."

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element of the alkali metal group; turns yellow in air; occurs in celestite and strontianite
  • Similar words include: Sr, steradian, atomic number 38
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "23. Ronald McDonald, e.g."

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rude or vulgar fool
  • Similar words include: merry andrew, goof, clown around
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOWN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. "This one's on me!""

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "29. Cry of frustration"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "31. "Titanic" heroine"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of many shrubs of the genus rosa that bear roses
  • Similar words include: stand up, develop, prove
  • Opposite of: turn in, set
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "33. Did the backstroke, say"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that travel through water
  • Similar words include: drown, swim, float
  • Opposite of: sink
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "35. Works with a needle"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fasten by sewing; do needlework
  • Similar words include: sew, run up, stitch
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "38. One-named "Hello" singer"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "39. Induct into a hall of fame, perhaps"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that enclose in a shrine
  • Similar words include: shrine, saint
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENSHRINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "40. Froth seen at the beach"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "41. Most populous Canadian province"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest of the great lakes
  • Similar words include: Lake Ontario
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONTARIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "42. 2014 nonfiction best seller subtitled "A Brief History of Humankind""

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or relating to or characteristic of homo sapiens
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAPIENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "45. "Shaken, not stirred" drink"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cocktail made of gin (or vodka) with dry vermouth
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARTINI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "46. Use DoorDash or Grubhub, e.g."

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "48. Some speech impediments"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a speech defect that involves pronouncing `s' like voiceless `th' and `z' like voiced `th'
  • Similar words include: list-processing language, lisp, LISP
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LISPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "50. ___ chi (Chinese martial art)"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of thailand
  • Similar words include: Thai, Siamese
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "52. Not see the ___ for the trees"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
  • Similar words include: wood, timberland, timber
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOREST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "55. Amazing bargain"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

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!

32D: "57. "To recap ...""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "59. Decays"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
  • Similar words include: guff, molder, hogwash
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "60. British baby carriage"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small vehicle with four wheels in which a baby or child is pushed around
  • Similar words include: stroller, baby buggy, go-cart
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "63. The first "T" in TNT"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

41 Across Clues
35 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: September 08, 2026 at 08:13 AM

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 19, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Medium

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

Across Clues - Complete List

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

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Sahara-esque"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Private sleeping accommodations?"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Section in a textbook"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Deceptive move in fencing"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Depend (on)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Natural pillow filling"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Graffiti, to some"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. QuinceaΓ±eras, e.g."

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Lifted"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Services for senior citizens"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Hybrid tennis attire"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. ___ Minor"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Unofficial vote"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "51. Excludes"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "53. Mount ___ Health System"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "56. Something to trust"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "62. They offer support"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "65. Field"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "66. Facility"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "70. Fall bloom"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "71. Cave wall hangings?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

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

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Female friends from Fuenlabrada"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Some vacation destinations"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. ___ Minor"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the largest continent with 60% of the earth's population; it is joined to europe on the west to form eurasia; it is the site of some of the world's earliest civilizations
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Set of courses offered"

10 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Miserable rating"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Put forth"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Drop the ball"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Verbal hesitations"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Neptune's territory"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

10 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "31. Drop"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "32. Drop"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "33. North Carolina university"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "40. Not taut"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Lecture attendee"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Rat (on)"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "55. See-through"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "59. Important stretches"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

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

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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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
39 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

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