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
- Across Clues Table (73 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (72 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
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. Clip on, say | 6 |
| 2A | 7. Facing the pitcher | 5 |
| 3A | 12. Some budget-friendly grocery stores | 5 |
| 4A | 17. It's on a roll! | 6 |
| 5A | 18. Sculpted | 6 |
| 6A | 20. Minimalist swimwear | 6 |
| 7A | 21. Mineral found in seaweed | 6 |
| 8A | 22. Certain supervisor on a film set | 7 |
| 9A | 24. Cozy garment | 7 |
| 10A | 25. Giveaway | 4 |
| 11A | 27. Setting for "Gorillas in the Mist" | 6 |
| 12A | 28. Spot for a grill | 7 |
| 13A | 29. Starters | 5 |
| 14A | 32. "Rumor has it ..." | 5 |
| 15A | 34. Most slipshod | 9 |
| 16A | 36. On the ___ | 3 |
| 17A | 37. Etta James record in the Grammy Hall of Fame | 6 |
| 18A | 39. Fungal structure | 4 |
| 19A | 40. Californie, par exemple | 4 |
| 20A | 41. "Big Blue" | 3 |
| 21A | 42. So-called "rooster sauce" | 8 |
| 22A | 44. Fails ignominiously, in slang | 6 |
| 23A | 46. Drag show accessories | 4 |
| 24A | 48. "___ Song" (Taylor Swift hit) | 3 |
| 25A | 49. 30 minutes to 3, in British English | 7 |
| 26A | 51. Beethoven's ___ (the "Fate" Symphony) | 5 |
| 27A | 55. Caitlin Clark's alma mater | 4 |
| 28A | 56. Gritty genre | 4 |
| 29A | 58. ___ tai (cocktail) | 3 |
| 30A | 59. What makes a dresser dressier? | 3 |
| 31A | 61. "Je vous en ___" (French words of politeness) | 4 |
| 32A | 62. Fuss | 3 |
| 33A | 64. Eager | 4 |
| 34A | 66. Relay race segment | 3 |
| 35A | 68. "Vous êtes ___" (notation on a French map) | 3 |
| 36A | 70. Not Dem. or Rep. | 3 |
| 37A | 71. March 8 observance connecting billions of people around the world ... including the 22 people whose names cross this answer | 22 |
| 38A | 77. Member of the fam | 3 |
| 39A | 78. Feel bad | 3 |
| 40A | 79. Like some humor | 3 |
| 41A | 80. Style for Detroit's Fisher Building | 4 |
| 42A | 81. Kind of moment | 3 |
| 43A | 82. Make out, in Manchester | 4 |
| 44A | 84. Backwoods refusal | 3 |
| 45A | 86. Soft shoe, informally | 3 |
| 46A | 88. Ephron who wrote "When Harry Met Sally ..." | 4 |
| 47A | 90. Similar | 4 |
| 48A | 93. Sch. in College Station, Tex. | 5 |
| 49A | 95. It's dangerous to ride a bicycle with this | 7 |
| 50A | 98. Reactor safety agcy. | 3 |
| 51A | 99. Get one's feet wet? | 4 |
| 52A | 100. Become rich and successful, so to speak | 6 |
| 53A | 102. Like raw footage vis-à-vis enhanced footage | 8 |
| 54A | 105. Pronoun for most of the people in this puzzle | 3 |
| 55A | 106. Ancient Greek instrument | 4 |
| 56A | 107. Muppet who was once a regular guest on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" | 4 |
| 57A | 109. Lustrous | 6 |
| 58A | 110. Loo | 3 |
| 59A | 111. Formal notes | 9 |
| 60A | 113. "City of a Thousand Minarets" | 5 |
| 61A | 114. French school | 5 |
| 62A | 116. Storage unit | 7 |
| 63A | 117. Settle in, say | 6 |
| 64A | 119. Used-up crayons | 4 |
| 65A | 121. "Nearly done!" | 7 |
| 66A | 122. Big name in sparkling water | 7 |
| 67A | 124. Kathmandu resident | 6 |
| 68A | 128. Some paintings of water lilies at 116-Down | 6 |
| 69A | 129. Role for Geena Davis in "A League of Their Own" | 6 |
| 70A | 130. Casino worker | 6 |
| 71A | 131. "Therefore ..." | 5 |
| 72A | 132. Verbally notify | 5 |
| 73A | 133. Highly embellished | 6 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Clip on, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that cause to be attached
- Similar words include: confiscate, impound, bind
- Opposite of: detach
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATTACH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "7. Facing the pitcher"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATBAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3A: "12. Some budget-friendly grocery stores"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALDIS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4A: "17. It's on a roll!"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the united states
- Similar words include: submarine, zep, hoagy
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOAGIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5A: "18. Sculpted"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that shape or influence; give direction to
- Similar words include: determine, forge, regulate
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHAPED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "20. Minimalist swimwear"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPEEDO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "21. Mineral found in seaweed"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used especially in medicine and photography and in dyes; occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities (as in sea water or rocks)
- Similar words include: tincture of iodine, I, iodin
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IODINE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8A: "22. Certain supervisor on a film set"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEYGRIP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "24. Cozy garment"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a crocheted or knitted garment covering the upper part of the body
- Similar words include: jumper, perspirer
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWEATER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "25. Giveaway"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap)
- Similar words include: state, severalize, evidence
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TELL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "27. Setting for "Gorillas in the Mist""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a landlocked republic in central africa; formerly a german colony
- Similar words include: Ruanda, Rwandese Republic
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RWANDA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "28. Spot for a grill"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIRVENT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "29. Starters"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATEAM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "32. "Rumor has it ...""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IHEAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "34. Most slipshod"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that lacking neatness or order
- Similar words include: swampy, haphazard, slapdash
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOPPIEST
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "36. On the ___"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a rapid escape (as by criminals)
- Similar words include: scat, turn tail, run
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17A: "37. Etta James record in the Grammy Hall of Fame"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATLAST
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18A: "39. Fungal structure"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the distinctive form in which a thing is made
- Similar words include: determine, cast, stamp
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOLD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "40. Californie, par exemple"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "41. "Big Blue""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IBM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "42. So-called "rooster sauce""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SRIRACHA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "44. Fails ignominiously, in slang"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EATSIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "46. Drag show accessories"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
- Similar words include: boa, feather boa
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "48. "___ Song" (Taylor Swift hit)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "49. 30 minutes to 3, in British English"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALFTWO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "51. Beethoven's ___ (the "Fate" Symphony)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a united states gallon
- Similar words include: twenty percent, one-fifth, fifth part
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIFTH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "55. Caitlin Clark's alma mater"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a member of the siouan people formerly living in iowa and minnesota and missouri
- Similar words include: Ioway, IA, Hawkeye State
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IOWA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "56. Gritty genre"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOIR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "58. ___ tai (cocktail)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "59. What makes a dresser dressier?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that black tropical american cuckoo
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "61. "Je vous en ___" (French words of politeness)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32A: "62. Fuss"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a rapid active commotion
- Similar words include: fuss, stir, bustle
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "64. Eager"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a funeral lament sung with loud wailing
- Similar words include: bang-up, slap-up, stabbing
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KEEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34A: "66. Relay race segment"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
- Similar words include: stage, peg, branch
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35A: "68. "Vous êtes ___" (notation on a French map)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
36A: "70. Not Dem. or Rep."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IND
Remember this word for future puzzles!
37A: "71. March 8 observance connecting billions of people around the world ... including the 22 people whose names cross this answer"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INTERNATIONALWOMENSDAY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
38A: "77. Member of the fam"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a female person who has the same parents as another person
- Similar words include: sister, International System, SI
- Opposite of: brother
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
39A: "78. Feel bad"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that aromatic bulb used as seasoning
- Similar words include: trouble, pain, garlic
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
40A: "79. Like some humor"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
- Similar words include: ironical, juiceless, ironic
- Opposite of: wet, phlegmy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
41A: "80. Style for Detroit's Fisher Building"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a style of design that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s; marked by stylized forms and geometric designs adapted to mass production
- Similar words include: art deco
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DECO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
42A: "81. Kind of moment"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
43A: "82. Make out, in Manchester"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
- Similar words include: osculate, kiss, buss
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
44A: "84. Backwoods refusal"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
45A: "86. Soft shoe, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
46A: "88. Ephron who wrote "When Harry Met Sally ...""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NORA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
47A: "90. Similar"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that similar in quality or character
- Similar words include: kin, consanguineal, kindred
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AKIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
48A: "93. Sch. in College Station, Tex."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AANDM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
49A: "95. It's dangerous to ride a bicycle with this"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOHANDS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
50A: "98. Reactor safety agcy."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an independent federal agency created in 1974 to license and regulate nuclear power plants
- Similar words include: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NRC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
51A: "99. Get one's feet wet?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that english tennis player who won many women's singles titles (born in 1945)
- Similar words include: Virginia Wade
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WADE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
52A: "100. Become rich and successful, so to speak"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
- Similar words include: make it, come, go far
- Opposite of: leave
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARRIVE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
53A: "102. Like raw footage vis-à-vis enhanced footage"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that composed of or covered with particles resembling meal in texture or consistency
- Similar words include: mealy, farinaceous, granular
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRAINIER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
54A: "105. Pronoun for most of the people in this puzzle"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
55A: "106. Ancient Greek instrument"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a harp used by ancient greeks for accompaniment
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LYRE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
56A: "107. Muppet who was once a regular guest on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELMO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
57A: "109. Lustrous"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a magazine printed on good quality paper
- Similar words include: lustrous, shining, sheeny
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GLOSSY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
58A: "110. Loo"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
- Similar words include: privy, john, toilet
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAV
Remember this word for future puzzles!
59A: "111. Formal notes"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a written proposal or reminder
- Similar words include: memo, memorandum
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEMORANDA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
60A: "113. "City of a Thousand Minarets""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a town at the southern tip of illinois at the confluence of the ohio and mississippi rivers
- Similar words include: capital of Egypt, El Qahira, Egyptian capital
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAIRO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
61A: "114. French school"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ECOLE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
62A: "116. Storage unit"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a unit of information equal to 1000 kilobits or 10^6 (1,000,000) bits
- Similar words include: Mb, Mbit
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEGABIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
63A: "117. Settle in, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that remove from its packing
- Similar words include: take out
- Opposite of: pack
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNPACK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
64A: "119. Used-up crayons"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small lump or protuberance
- Similar words include: stub, core, substance
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NUBS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
65A: "121. "Nearly done!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONETOGO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
66A: "122. Big name in sparkling water"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PERRIER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
67A: "124. Kathmandu resident"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a native or inhabitant of nepal
- Similar words include: Nepalese
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEPALI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
68A: "128. Some paintings of water lilies at 116-Down"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that french impressionist painter (1840-1926)
- Similar words include: Monet, Claude Monet
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MONETS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
69A: "129. Role for Geena Davis in "A League of Their Own""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOTTIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
70A: "130. Casino worker"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
- Similar words include: trader, monger, principal
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEALER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
71A: "131. "Therefore ...""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANDSO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
72A: "132. Verbally notify"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAYTO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
73A: "133. Highly embellished"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details; ; -john milton
- Similar words include: flowery
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORNATE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Poke fish, often | 3 |
| 2D | 2. As well | 3 |
| 3D | 3. Touch | 3 |
| 4D | 4. Feeling of distress | 5 |
| 5D | 5. Movie palaces | 7 |
| 6D | 6. Cry from a dog walker | 4 |
| 7D | 7. Inquire | 3 |
| 8D | 8. ___ May, former British P.M. | 7 |
| 9D | 9. Drama series co-starring Pamela Anderson | 8 |
| 10D | 10. ___ score (neonatal measure) | 5 |
| 11D | 11. Seabird | 4 |
| 12D | 12. Predinner beverage | 8 |
| 13D | 13. Show gratitude for service | 9 |
| 14D | 14. Loathe | 6 |
| 15D | 15. Part of PIN: Abbr. | 5 |
| 16D | 16. Photocopier function | 4 |
| 17D | 19. Simple rebuttal | 5 |
| 18D | 20. Makes a choice on Tinder, e.g. | 6 |
| 19D | 23. Structure in a shipping container | 6 |
| 20D | 24. Sucker | 3 |
| 21D | 26. First (and last) queen of Hawaii | 12 |
| 22D | 29. Good thing for a suspect to have | 5 |
| 23D | 30. Verboten | 5 |
| 24D | 31. Actress who portrayed Hermione Granger | 10 |
| 25D | 33. Tubman of the Underground Railroad | 7 |
| 26D | 35. Indigenous people of the Great Lakes | 5 |
| 27D | 38. Sci-fi franchise that takes place in "the Grid" | 4 |
| 28D | 39. 2014 Peace Prize laureate Yousafzai | 6 |
| 29D | 43. Green eggs' partner | 3 |
| 30D | 45. Author who won a Pulitzer for "Beloved" | 12 |
| 31D | 47. One-named singer of "Smooth Operator" | 4 |
| 32D | 50. Sally with two Oscars | 5 |
| 33D | 52. Mexican painter known for her self-portraits | 10 |
| 34D | 53. Turner who was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame | 4 |
| 35D | 54. Inventor and actress Lamarr | 4 |
| 36D | 57. Tara of "Sharknado" | 4 |
| 37D | 60. ___ Spice, Grammy-nominated rapper | 3 |
| 38D | 63. "R.I.P." singer Rita ___ | 3 |
| 39D | 65. Silent film star Talmadge | 5 |
| 40D | 67. ___ Stefani, lead vocalist for No Doubt | 4 |
| 41D | 69. Celebrity chef Garten | 3 |
| 42D | 71. Rae who co-created "Insecure" | 4 |
| 43D | 72. Singer and civil rights activist Simone | 4 |
| 44D | 73. Memoirist Anaïs who wrote "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage" | 3 |
| 45D | 74. Oscar winner Lupita | 6 |
| 46D | 75. Groundbreaking Supreme Court justice appointed in 1981 | 7 |
| 47D | 76. Anna Howard ___, leader in the suffrage movement | 4 |
| 48D | 83. Aussie greeting | 9 |
| 49D | 85. Like some textiles | 5 |
| 50D | 87. Burnable storage unit, in brief | 3 |
| 51D | 89. They can't be returned | 4 |
| 52D | 91. As good as it gets | 5 |
| 53D | 92. Skydiving requirement | 5 |
| 54D | 94. Styx song that starts "Domo arigato" | 8 |
| 55D | 96. Delayed | 6 |
| 56D | 97. Wisdom | 8 |
| 57D | 101. Equips again, as a ship | 6 |
| 58D | 103. "Not bad!" | 7 |
| 59D | 104. Roggenbock, e.g. | 7 |
| 60D | 106. Babe the Blue Ox, e.g. | 6 |
| 61D | 108. Like zebras, but not tigers | 5 |
| 62D | 111. Baseball announcer's update | 5 |
| 63D | 112. From ___ Z | 3 |
| 64D | 113. Spanish letter | 5 |
| 65D | 115. Floor show? | 5 |
| 66D | 116. See 128-Across | 4 |
| 67D | 118. Experts | 4 |
| 68D | 120. Ctrl-Z action | 4 |
| 69D | 123. ___ Speedwagon | 3 |
| 70D | 125. In the manner of | 3 |
| 71D | 126. Tennis call | 3 |
| 72D | 127. Fuming feeling | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Poke fish, often"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHI
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2D: "2. As well"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
- Similar words include: also, likewise, as well
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOO
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3D: "3. Touch"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a slight amount or degree of difference
- Similar words include: shade
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAD
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4D: "4. Feeling of distress"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGITA
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5D: "5. Movie palaces"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a medium that disseminates moving pictures
- Similar words include: picture palace, movie house, movie theatre
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CINEMAS
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6D: "6. Cry from a dog walker"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
- Similar words include: bounder, hound, reheel
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEEL
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7D: "7. Inquire"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that inquire about
- Similar words include: involve, call for, necessitate
- Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASK
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8D: "8. ___ May, former British P.M."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that indian nun and missionary in the roman catholic church (born of albanian parents in what is now macedonia); dedicated to helping the poor in india (1910-1997)
- Similar words include: Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, Teresa, Mother Theresa
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THERESA
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9D: "9. Drama series co-starring Pamela Anderson"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAYWATCH
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10D: "10. ___ score (neonatal measure)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APGAR
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11D: "11. Seabird"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that small slender gull having narrow wings and a forked tail
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TERN
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12D: "12. Predinner beverage"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that alcoholic beverage taken before a meal as an appetizer
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APERITIF
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13D: "13. Show gratitude for service"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAVEATIP
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14D: "14. Loathe"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that dislike intensely; feel antipathy or aversion towards
- Similar words include: hate
- Opposite of: love
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DETEST
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15D: "15. Part of PIN: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDENT
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16D: "16. Photocopier function"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
- Similar words include: screen, assort, kind
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SORT
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17D: "19. Simple rebuttal"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIDSO
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18D: "20. Makes a choice on Tinder, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a sweeping stroke or blow
- Similar words include: purloin, hook, lift
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWIPES
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19D: "23. Structure in a shipping container"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art
- Similar words include: palette
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PALLET
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20D: "24. Sucker"
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: cosh, run down, play out
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAP
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21D: "26. First (and last) queen of Hawaii"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that queen of the hawaiian islands (1838-1917)
- Similar words include: Lydia Kamekeha Paki Liliuokalani
- Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LILIUOKALANI
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22D: "29. Good thing for a suspect to have"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in question
- Similar words include: excuse, exculpation, self-justification
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALIBI
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23D: "30. Verboten"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a prejudice (especially in polynesia and other south pacific islands) that prohibits the use or mention of something because of its sacred nature
- Similar words include: forbidden, verboten, tabu
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TABOO
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24D: "31. Actress who portrayed Hermione Granger"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMMAWATSON
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25D: "33. Tubman of the Underground Railroad"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARRIET
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26D: "35. Indigenous people of the Great Lakes"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODAWA
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27D: "38. Sci-fi franchise that takes place in "the Grid""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRON
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28D: "39. 2014 Peace Prize laureate Yousafzai"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MALALA
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29D: "43. Green eggs' partner"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
- Similar words include: ham actor, ham it up, gammon
- Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAM
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30D: "45. Author who won a Pulitzer for "Beloved""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TONIMORRISON
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31D: "47. One-named singer of "Smooth Operator""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that french soldier and writer whose descriptions of sexual perversion gave rise to the term `sadism' (1740-1814)
- Similar words include: Comte Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade, de Sade, Marquis de Sade
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SADE
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32D: "50. Sally with two Oscars"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
- Similar words include: field of view, theater of operations, sphere
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIELD
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33D: "52. Mexican painter known for her self-portraits"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRIDAKAHLO
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34D: "53. Turner who was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TINA
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35D: "54. Inventor and actress Lamarr"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEDY
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36D: "57. Tara of "Sharknado""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that scottish philosopher of common sense who opposed the ideas of david hume (1710-1796)
- Similar words include: Thomas Reid
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REID
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37D: "60. ___ Spice, Grammy-nominated rapper"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that water frozen in the solid state
- Similar words include: deoxyephedrine, chicken feed, internal-combustion engine
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICE
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38D: "63. "R.I.P." singer Rita ___"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a mouth or mouthlike opening
- Similar words include: oculus sinister, bone, os
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORA
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39D: "65. Silent film star Talmadge"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small constellation in the southern hemisphere near lupus and ara in the milky way
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NORMA
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40D: "67. ___ Stefani, lead vocalist for No Doubt"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GWEN
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41D: "69. Celebrity chef Garten"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INA
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42D: "71. Rae who co-created "Insecure""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISSA
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43D: "72. Singer and civil rights activist Simone"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of ea
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NINA
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44D: "73. Memoirist Anaïs who wrote "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIN
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45D: "74. Oscar winner Lupita"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NYONGO
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46D: "75. Groundbreaking Supreme Court justice appointed in 1981"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCONNOR
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47D: "76. Anna Howard ___, leader in the suffrage movement"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that united states clarinetist and leader of a swing band (1910-2004)
- Similar words include: Anna Howard Shaw, Arthur Jacob Arshawsky, G. B. Shaw
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHAW
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48D: "83. Aussie greeting"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GDAYMATES
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49D: "85. Like some textiles"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that interlace by or as if by weaving
- Similar words include: meander, waver, thread
- Opposite of: unweave, unwoven
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WOVEN
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50D: "87. Burnable storage unit, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CDR
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51D: "89. They can't be returned"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
- Similar words include: sensation, angiotensin-converting enzyme, sweep through
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACES
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52D: "91. As good as it gets"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
- Similar words include: apotheosis, nonpareil, idealistic
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDEAL
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53D: "92. Skydiving requirement"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
- Similar words include: boldness, brass, mettle
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NERVE
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54D: "94. Styx song that starts "Domo arigato""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MRROBOTO
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55D: "96. Delayed"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HELDUP
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56D: "97. Wisdom"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations
- Similar words include: discernment, judiciousness, sagaciousness
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAGACITY
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57D: "101. Equips again, as a ship"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RERIGS
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58D: "103. "Not bad!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ILIKEIT
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59D: "104. Roggenbock, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RYEBEER
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60D: "106. Babe the Blue Ox, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
- Similar words include: caption, fable
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEGEND
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61D: "108. Like zebras, but not tigers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that take charge of a certain job; occupy a certain work place
- Similar words include: man
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANED
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62D: "111. Baseball announcer's update"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENON
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63D: "112. From ___ Z"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATO
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64D: "113. Spanish letter"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARTA
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65D: "115. Floor show?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CSPAN
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66D: "116. See 128-Across"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOMA
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67D: "118. Experts"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an athlete who plays for pay
- Similar words include: professional, pro
- Opposite of: con, amateur
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROS
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68D: "120. Ctrl-Z action"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect
- Similar words include: unwrap, unmake, loosen
- Opposite of: wrap, make
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNDO
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69D: "123. ___ Speedwagon"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REO
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70D: "125. In the manner of"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALA
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71D: "126. Tennis call"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a brutal terrorist group active in kashmir; fights against india with the goal of restoring islamic rule of india
- Similar words include: permit, lease, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba
- Opposite of: forbid, disallow
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LET
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72D: "127. Fuming feeling"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
- Similar words include: ira, wrath, anger
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRE
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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
73 Across Clues
72 Down Clues
145 Total Clues
More NYT Crossword Help
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