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Friday, July 31, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 31, 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. Withholding something? 3
2A 4. It'll pass! 3
3A 7. Silent type 4
4A 11. Sex work? 9
5A 14. Screen name 4
6A 15. Tennis feat involving four consecutive major tournament wins in two calendar years 10
7A 16. Grime 4
8A 17. Honey, for example 7
9A 18. Energy source for distance runners 3
10A 20. World Economic Forum, e.g., for short 3
11A 21. Tripping 5
12A 22. Style secured with a scrunchie 8
13A 24. Tobiko or masago 3
14A 25. Twists of fate, say 11
15A 28. Pharyngitis docs 4
16A 30. Exuding joy 9
17A 31. Went hell for leather 4
18A 33. Cry when shaking hands 4
19A 34. "This is too much" 9
20A 37. Blind component 4
21A 41. Wiseacre 11
22A 43. What a closed fist with an extended index finger represents, in A.S.L. 3
23A 44. Where to be above all the drama? 8
24A 45. Pierre : French :: ___ : Russian 5
25A 47. Maryland governor Moore 3
26A 48. Perspective, for short 3
27A 49. Casual Friday option 7
28A 51. Result of a shopping spree 4
29A 53. Highly flexible discipline? 10
30A 55. Brazilian state whose name is a unit of measurement 4
31A 56. Relative of a tumbler 9
32A 57. Cuisine with tom kha kai 4
33A 58. Business with lockers 3
34A 59. All good 3

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Withholding something?"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government
  • Similar words include: assess, task, revenue enhancement
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "4. It'll pass!"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
  • Similar words include: cult, furor, craze
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "7. Silent type"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an actor who communicates entirely by gesture and facial expression
  • Similar words include: mummer, pantomimer, mimer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "11. Sex work?"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

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!

5A: "14. Screen name"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "15. Tennis feat involving four consecutive major tournament wins in two calendar years"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "16. Grime"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
  • Similar words include: scandal, grease, grunge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIRT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "17. Honey, for example"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "18. Energy source for distance runners"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a colloid in a more solid form than a sol
  • Similar words include: colloidal gel, mousse, gelatin
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. World Economic Forum, e.g., for short"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an organization that is not part of the local or state or federal government
  • Similar words include: nongovernmental organization
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "21. Tripping"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "22. Style secured with a scrunchie"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. Tobiko or masago"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fish eggs or egg-filled ovary; having a grainy texture
  • Similar words include: hard roe
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "25. Twists of fate, say"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "28. Pharyngitis docs"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "30. Exuding joy"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "31. Went hell for leather"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
  • Similar words include: buck, torus, charge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Cry when shaking hands"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular instance of buying or selling
  • Similar words include: shell out, mint, administer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. "This is too much""

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "37. Blind component"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a thin strip (wood or metal)
  • Similar words include: spline
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. Wiseacre"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. What a closed fist with an extended index finger represents, in A.S.L."

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: ane, unity, unmatched
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Where to be above all the drama?"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Pierre : French :: ___ : Russian"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "47. Maryland governor Moore"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "48. Perspective, for short"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "49. Casual Friday option"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a canvas shoe with a pliable rubber sole
  • Similar words include: canary, stoolpigeon, snitcher
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNEAKER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "51. Result of a shopping spree"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of drawing or hauling something
  • Similar words include: haulage, drag, catch
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAUL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. Highly flexible discipline?"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "55. Brazilian state whose name is a unit of measurement"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "56. Relative of a tumbler"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "57. Cuisine with tom kha kai"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "58. Business with lockers"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "59. All good"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Palm-sized pastry 7
2D 2. Assenting chorus 5
3D 3. Shangri-La 6
4D 4. Make one 4
5D 5. Seat of Fulton County: Abbr. 3
6D 6. British counterpart to "Shark Tank" 10
7D 7. Just OK, in modern lingo 3
8D 8. "Mind. Blown." 7
9D 9. Part of Fermat's copy of "Arithmetica" where he wrote his Last Theorem 7
10D 10. Glorifies 6
11D 11. Into 6
12D 12. Tech mogul Altman 3
13D 13. Change for a bill 9
14D 15. Reproductive part of a fern 5
15D 19. Youngest Bennet sister in "Pride and Prejudice" 5
16D 22. Patrick, to SpongeBob 3
17D 23. Rings 5
18D 26. Venue for events that guests are always on board to attend? 9
19D 27. Some all-nighters 10
20D 29. "Yellow Submarine" lead vocalist 5
21D 32. Ready to go 5
22D 34. Censure, in a way 7
23D 35. Formal pause in a line of poetry 7
24D 36. Certain shot, colloquially 3
25D 38. "Heads up!" 7
26D 39. Insect product in the salad yum khai mod daeng 6
27D 40. ___ incognita 5
28D 41. "And ...?" 6
29D 42. Brief periods 6
30D 46. Self-congratulation 5
31D 49. Hindu deity depicted with four arms 4
32D 50. Denial in Aberdeen 3
33D 52. Chain that can symbolize friendship 3
34D 54. Genre for Logic 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Palm-sized pastry"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small tart usually used as a canape
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARTLET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Assenting chorus"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a primeval egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at thebes
  • Similar words include: Amon, Amun, Amen
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Shangri-La"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Make one"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an electrical device that can interrupt the flow of electrical current when it is overloaded
  • Similar words include: mix, primer, commingle
  • Opposite of: defuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Seat of Fulton County: Abbr."

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. British counterpart to "Shark Tank""

10 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Just OK, in modern lingo"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that used in combination to denote the middle
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. "Mind. Blown.""

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Part of Fermat's copy of "Arithmetica" where he wrote his Last Theorem"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
  • Similar words include: security deposit, allowance, leeway
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARGINS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Glorifies"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that praise, glorify, or honor
  • Similar words include: exalt, extol, glorify
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXTOLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Into"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Tech mogul Altman"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Change for a bill"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of amending or correcting
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMENDMENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "15. Reproductive part of a fern"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small usually single-celled asexual reproductive body produced by many nonflowering plants and fungi and some bacteria and protozoans and that are capable of developing into a new individual without sexual fusion
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Youngest Bennet sister in "Pride and Prejudice""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ancient region on the coast of western asia minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the persians in 546 bc
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LYDIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "22. Patrick, to SpongeBob"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
  • Similar words include: chum, crony, pal up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "23. Rings"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fee levied for the use of roads or bridges (used for maintenance)
  • Similar words include: toll, bell, cost
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOLLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Venue for events that guests are always on board to attend?"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Some all-nighters"

10 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an occasion of spending a night away from home or having a guest spend the night in your home (especially as a party for children)
  • Similar words include: sleepover
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEEPOVERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. "Yellow Submarine" lead vocalist"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that rock star and drummer for the beatles (born in 1940)
  • Similar words include: Ringo Starr, Starkey, Richard Starkey
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STARR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. Ready to go"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "34. Censure, in a way"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that challenge the honesty or veracity of
  • Similar words include: criminate, accuse, incriminate
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMPEACH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Formal pause in a line of poetry"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a pause or interruption (as in a conversation)
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAESURA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Certain shot, colloquially"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. "Heads up!""

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
  • Similar words include: watch, observation post, spotter
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOKOUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Insect product in the salad yum khai mod daeng"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. ___ incognita"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. "And ...?""

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. Brief periods"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
  • Similar words include: spell, trance, tour
  • Opposite of: unspell
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPELLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Self-congratulation"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. Hindu deity depicted with four arms"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the destroyer; one of the three major divinities in the later hindu pantheon
  • Similar words include: Shiva
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIVA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Denial in Aberdeen"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Chain that can symbolize friendship"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
  • Similar words include: garland, chaplet, wreath
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "54. Genre for Logic"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
  • Similar words include: blame, whang, strike
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

34 Across Clues
34 Down Clues
68 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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

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

Last updated: July 31, 2026 at 06:27 AM

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 18, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging

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

Across Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Genre for James Brown or Al Green, informally 5
2A 6. Biblical name for Syria 4
3A 10. International agreements 5
4A 15. "That's ___" (Dean Martin classic) 5
5A 16. Plumb mad 4
6A 17. Ancient Greek marketplace 5
7A 18. Dwindled away 10
8A 20. ___ Aran, heroine of Nintendo's Metroid 5
9A 21. πŸ•˜⏳⏰ 15
10A 23. Gullible one 3
11A 24. Pepper that's two steps above poblano on the Scoville scale 7
12A 25. Irritated outburst 3
13A 28. Carnaval city, informally 3
14A 30. Smallish batteries 3
15A 31. Reservoir producer 3
16A 34. Bounty 9
17A 38. Favorable starting point of an auto race 4
18A 39. πŸ€™πŸ‘πŸ‘‹ 16
19A 43. The Farm Service Agcy. is part of it 4
20A 44. Some wand wielders 9
21A 45. Trident-shaped letter 3
22A 46. QB's call 3
23A 49. Write "their" for "there," say 3
24A 50. Slopping spot 3
25A 51. Offensively odorous 7
26A 55. Noted wildlife refuge 3
27A 57. πŸ’¬πŸ—£️πŸ—―️ 15
28A 62. Cara of "Fame" fame 5
29A 63. Digital capture 10
30A 65. Enchantress of Greek mythology 5
31A 66. Popular D.I.Y. website 4
32A 67. Go after 5
33A 68. Nincompoops 5
34A 69. Rackets 4
35A 70. Reduced to crumbs, say 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Genre for James Brown or Al Green, informally"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Biblical name for Syria"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the biblical name for ancient syria
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. International agreements"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
  • Similar words include: pact, accord, treaty
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PACTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. "That's ___" (Dean Martin classic)"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. Plumb mad"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
  • Similar words include: kooky, wacky, around the bend
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOCO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Ancient Greek marketplace"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 100 agorot equal 1 shekel in israel
  • Similar words include: public square
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. Dwindled away"

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. ___ Aran, heroine of Nintendo's Metroid"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. πŸ•˜⏳⏰"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Gullible one"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Pepper that's two steps above poblano on the Scoville scale"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Irritated outburst"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "28. Carnaval city, informally"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the former capital and 2nd largest city of brazil; chief brazilian port; famous as a tourist attraction
  • Similar words include: Rio de Janeiro
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Smallish batteries"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an associate degree in applied science
  • Similar words include: Associate in Arts, aa, AA
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. Reservoir producer"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
  • Similar words include: dkm, dam up, decameter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Bounty"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply
  • Similar words include: teemingness, copiousness
  • Opposite of: scarcity
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABUNDANCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "38. Favorable starting point of an auto race"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
  • Similar words include: terminal, rod, magnetic pole
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "39. πŸ€™πŸ‘πŸ‘‹"

16 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "43. The Farm Service Agcy. is part of it"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the federal department that administers programs that provide services to farmers (including research and soil conservation and efforts to stabilize the farming economy); created in 1862
  • Similar words include: Agriculture, Agriculture Department, Department of Agriculture
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USDA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "44. Some wand wielders"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one who practices magic or sorcery
  • Similar words include: thaumaturgist, magician, necromancer
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SORCERERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "45. Trident-shaped letter"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of pressure
  • Similar words include: pounds per square inch
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PSI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "46. QB's call"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that temporary military shelter
  • Similar words include: shack, army hut, hovel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "49. Write "their" for "there," say"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "50. Slopping spot"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "51. Offensively odorous"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that causing or able to cause nausea
  • Similar words include: stinking, funky, ill-scented
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOISOME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "55. Noted wildlife refuge"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (judaism) sacred chest where the ancient hebrews kept the two tablets containing the ten commandments
  • Similar words include: Ark of the Covenant
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "57. πŸ’¬πŸ—£️πŸ—―️"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "62. Cara of "Fame" fame"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "63. Digital capture"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "65. Enchantress of Greek mythology"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) a sorceress who detained odysseus on her island and turned his men into swine
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIRCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "66. Popular D.I.Y. website"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "67. Go after"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
  • Similar words include: pursual, tag, track
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "68. Nincompoops"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: can, buns, butt
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "69. Rackets"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud harsh or strident noise
  • Similar words include: rumpus, blaring, boom
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DINS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "70. Reduced to crumbs, say"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take in solid food
  • Similar words include: exhaust, deplete, eat
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EATEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. What a fall guy has to take, with "the" 3
2D 2. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones 4
3D 3. Terse denial 4
4D 4. Remains 5
5D 5. Leader of the Sharks in "West Side Story" 8
6D 6. Gucci of fashion 4
7D 7. Locales for some urban gardens 5
8D 8. Like the accents in "dΓ©classΓ©" 5
9D 9. Godzilla foe 6
10D 10. Elbows and bow ties 6
11D 11. Once more 5
12D 12. Best-selling home computers of the 1980s 10
13D 13. On the money 4
14D 14. Freshness 4
15D 19. Observation 6
16D 22. It might be a stretch for historians 3
17D 25. Fill an automobile tank ... or boost the confidence of, in slang 5
18D 26. Deep chasm 5
19D 27. Pips 10
20D 29. Demon of Japanese folklore 3
21D 32. On guard 5
22D 33. Like some buns and bedrooms 5
23D 35. Org. for Wizards and Magic 3
24D 36. Includes, in a way 3
25D 37. One of the "six enemies of the mind," in Hinduism 3
26D 38. Big name in water filters 3
27D 40. Old-fashioned word that's a homophone of 49-Across 3
28D 41. Distressing encounter 6
29D 42. ___ Howard, Oscar-nominated actor for 2005's "Hustle & Flow" 8
30D 46. New workmates 6
31D 47. Manipulate 3
32D 48. Cast 6
33D 52. Meager measure of compassion? 5
34D 53. Traditional rice cake snack on Japanese New Year 5
35D 54. Actor Zac of "High School Musical" 5
36D 56. Singer with the 2009 #1 hit "Tik Tok" 5
37D 57. Acronym on a W-2 4
38D 58. Bluish-purple bloom 4
39D 59. Wraps (up) 4
40D 60. TΓͺte-Γ -tΓͺte 4
41D 61. Firefighting aid 4
42D 64. X 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. What a fall guy has to take, with "the""

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
  • Similar words include: whang, hip-hop, tap
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Terse denial"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Remains"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sediment that has settled at the bottom of a liquid
  • Similar words include: dreg, settlings
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DREGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Leader of the Sharks in "West Side Story""

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Gucci of fashion"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Locales for some urban gardens"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
  • Similar words include: roof, ceiling, cap
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROOFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Like the accents in "dΓ©classΓ©""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
  • Similar words include: ague, piercing, intense
  • Opposite of: chronic, obtuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACUTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Godzilla foe"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Elbows and bow ties"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dish that contains pasta as its main ingredient
  • Similar words include: pasta, alimentary paste
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PASTAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Once more"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: once more, over again, once again
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGAIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Best-selling home computers of the 1980s"

10 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a commissioned naval officer who ranks above a captain and below a rear admiral; the lowest grade of admiral
  • Similar words include: commodore
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMMODORES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. On the money"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment
  • Similar words include: admittedly, dependable, dead on target
  • Opposite of: false, untruthful
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Freshness"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "19. Observation"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of detecting something; catching sight of something
  • Similar words include: catching, spotting, spying
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESPIAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "22. It might be a stretch for historians"

3 letters πŸ’­ 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: epoch, geological era, earned run average
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Fill an automobile tank ... or boost the confidence of, in slang"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Deep chasm"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)
  • Similar words include: abysm
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABYSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Pips"

10 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone of remarkable excellence
  • Similar words include: humdinger
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUMDINGERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Demon of Japanese folklore"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the military intelligence agency that provides for the intelligence and counterintelligence and investigative and security requirements of the united states navy
  • Similar words include: Office of Naval Intelligence
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. On guard"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that condition of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action
  • Similar words include: lively, spanking, zippy
  • Opposite of: unalert
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALERT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Like some buns and bedrooms"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "35. Org. for Wizards and Magic"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. Includes, in a way"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metric unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a liter
  • Similar words include: cubic centimetre, cubic centimeter, milliliter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CCS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. One of the "six enemies of the mind," in Hinduism"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "38. Big name in water filters"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Old-fashioned word that's a homophone of 49-Across"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. Distressing encounter"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a harsh noise made by scraping
  • Similar words include: scratch, scar, scraping
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCRAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. ___ Howard, Oscar-nominated actor for 2005's "Hustle & Flow""

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. New workmates"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that engage or hire for work
  • Similar words include: engage, lease, employ
  • Opposite of: fire
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HIREES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Manipulate"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of using
  • Similar words include: consumption, usage, economic consumption
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Cast"

6 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that throw or toss with a light motion
  • Similar words include: cast out, toss away, cast aside
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOSSED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "52. Meager measure of compassion?"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a pound
  • Similar words include: troy ounce, snow leopard, Panthera uncia
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUNCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Traditional rice cake snack on Japanese New Year"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Actor Zac of "High School Musical""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "56. Singer with the 2009 #1 hit "Tik Tok""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "57. Acronym on a W-2"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tax on employees and employers that is used to fund the social security system
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FICA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Bluish-purple bloom"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
  • Similar words include: flag, fleur-de-lis, sword lily
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Wraps (up)"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. TΓͺte-Γ -tΓͺte"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an informal conversation
  • Similar words include: chew the fat, confabulate, shoot the breeze
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "61. Firefighting aid"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that socks and stockings and tights collectively (the british include underwear)
  • Similar words include: hose down, hosepipe, hosiery
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "64. X"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

35 Across Clues
42 Down Clues
77 Total Clues

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Last updated: February 18, 2026 at 05:09 AM