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

Friday, July 19, 2024

July 15, 2016 NYT Clues Answers

NYT Crossword and Answers - July 15, 2016

Welcome to NYT Puzzle and answers. The New York Times Crossword is a most popular puzzles. Here are the clues and answers for today puzzle:

Across:

  • 1. Insincerely polite: GREASY
  • 7. 13-Down natives, e.g.: AFRICANS
  • 15. Hugh who played TV's House: LAURIE
  • 16. Laid into: RAILEDAT
  • 17. Wool source: ANGORA
  • 18. Subcontinent-wide: ALLINDIA
  • 19. One for whom 36-Across has four syllables: CHEMIST
  • 21. Many new car drivers: LEASERS
  • 22. Island west of Mull: IONA
  • 23. Red stuff to cut through: TAPE
  • 25. Dim bulbs: DODOS
  • 26. Off: AMISS
  • 28. Compromise: BEND
  • 30. Trial cover-up: ROBE
  • 31. Gray head: LEE
  • 32. Has the stage: ISON
  • 34. What exterior doors typically do: OPENIN
  • 36. See 19- and 57-Across: UNIONIZED
  • 38. Lyricist who adapted "Pygmalion": LERNER
  • 41. Clubs to beat people with?: ACES
  • 42. Chrome runners, maybe: PCS
  • 45. x, y and z: AXES
  • 46. Mozart title starter: EINE
  • 48. Devil's deck: TAROT
  • 50. Lawyer's workload: CASES
  • 52. Admission evidence: STUB
  • 54. Musical group known for wearing red hats called "energy domes": DEVO
  • 55. Recycling bin fill: EMPTIES
  • 57. One for whom 36-Across has three syllables: PLUMBER
  • 59. Figure-changing agent: DIETDRUG
  • 61. Calmer?: OPIATE
  • 62. Lesser "Seinfeld" role played by Len Lesser: UNCLELEO
  • 63. Bomb: TURKEY
  • 64. Early Beatle: PETEBEST
  • 65. Going rates: SPEEDS

Down:

  • 1. Beyond slow: GLACIAL
  • 2. Sought safety, say: RANHOME
  • 3. Princess in line to the British throne after Beatrice: EUGENIE
  • 4. Agents in some therapy: AROMAS
  • 5. When told "I'm sleepy," she sometimes says "I hope you're not driving": SIRI
  • 6. Rising generation?: YEAST
  • 7. The Era of ___ (1964-74 Notre Dame football): ARA
  • 8. Like some angels and arches: FALLEN
  • 9. Really bug: RILE
  • 10. Paris fights in it: ILIAD
  • 11. Like many bad words: CENSORED
  • 12. Appended: ADDEDON
  • 13. Safari Capital of the World: NAIROBI
  • 14. Nine-time presidential contender of the 1940s-'90s: STASSEN
  • 20. Shaving the beard with a razor, in Jewish law: TABOO
  • 24. Bit of dΓ©cor in a sports bar: PENNANT
  • 27. It makes a wave: SINE
  • 29. Nap: DOZE
  • 33. Top of the line?: SIRE
  • 35. Tick, e.g.: PEST
  • 36. Fill with anxiety: UNSETTLE
  • 37. Freeze: ICEUP
  • 38. Like skates and corsets: LACEDUP
  • 39. Scrutinize: EXAMINE
  • 40. Word repeatedly spelled out by Franklin: RESPECT
  • 42. Make as a heat-and-serve product, say: PREBAKE
  • 43. Much-sought-after: COVETED
  • 44. British floors: STOREYS
  • 47. Time after Time?: ISSUES
  • 49. Think much of: ADMIRE
  • 51. Backtrack?: SIDEB
  • 53. Calligraphic messes: BLOTS
  • 56. Creator of the lawyer Perry: ERLE
  • 58. "Superman" catchphrase starter: UPUP
  • 60. Grokked: GOT

Monday, February 16, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 16, 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. Necklace fastener 5
2A 6. Physique, slangily 3
3A 9. "___ to that!" 4
4A 13. Textile city NNE of Paris 5
5A 14. New wave band with the hit "Whip It" 4
6A 15. Improvise, in jazz 4
7A 16. Stared rudely 5
8A 17. Late-night kitchen visit, e.g. 4
9A 18. Stench 4
10A 19. Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom 13
11A 22. Home for pigs 3
12A 23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe 4
13A 24. Really, really cool 6
14A 27. "My dude!" 3
15A 28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs 4
16A 30. ___-Hulk 3
17A 31. Charge for airing a commercial 5
18A 34. Fictional lab assistant with a hunchback 4
19A 35. Stylish 4
20A 36. Capital of the Gem State, in a mailing address 7
21A 38. Possible cybercrime, informally 7
22A 40. M.I.T. Mystery ___ (annual puzzle competition) 4
23A 41. Close by 4
24A 43. Corrosion signs 5
25A 44. Stadium cheer 3
26A 45. Glance through 4
27A 46. Reader's Digest or Golf Digest, in brief 3
28A 47. Where clams are served 6
29A 49. Knotted (up) 4
30A 51. Rep.'s counterpart 3
31A 54. "Makes no difference to me" 13
32A 57. Actress Kendrick 4
33A 59. Hourly pay rate 4
34A 60. Flock that honks 5
35A 61. Follow directions 4
36A 62. Conga, for one 4
37A 63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium 5
38A 64. Scottish girl 4
39A 65. Place to get a rubdown 3
40A 66. Voting spots 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Necklace fastener"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together
  • Similar words include: clutches, grip, brooch
  • Opposite of: unclasp, unbuckle
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLASP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Physique, slangily"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that alternative names for the body of a human being
  • Similar words include: chassis, human body, form
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. "___ to that!""

4 letters 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
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. Textile city NNE of Paris"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an industrial city in northern france near the belgian border; was the medieval capital of flanders
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LILLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "14. New wave band with the hit "Whip It""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "15. Improvise, in jazz"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
  • Similar words include: tease, flirt, vamper
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VAMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "16. Stared rudely"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that look at with amorous intentions
  • Similar words include: ogle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OGLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "17. Late-night kitchen visit, e.g."

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sudden short attack
  • Similar words include: maraud, bust, foray
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "18. Stench"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any property detected by the olfactory system
  • Similar words include: olfactory sensation, olfactory perception, scent
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "19. Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom"

13 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Home for pigs"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
  • Similar words include: tike, boor, peasant
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOTH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "24. Really, really cool"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. "My dude!""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that trademark for a powerful operating system
  • Similar words include: UNIX operating system, UNIX system
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNIX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "30. ___-Hulk"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "31. Charge for airing a commercial"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "34. Fictional lab assistant with a hunchback"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "35. Stylish"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that elegance by virtue of being fashionable
  • Similar words include: chicness, last word, stylishness
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "36. Capital of the Gem State, in a mailing address"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. Possible cybercrime, informally"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. M.I.T. Mystery ___ (annual puzzle competition)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that englishman and pre-raphaelite painter (1827-1910)
  • Similar words include: Leigh Hunt, hunt down, Holman Hunt
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Close by"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move towards
  • Similar words include: come near, draw near, nearly
  • Opposite of: far
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "43. Corrosion signs"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture
  • Similar words include: eat, rust fungus, rust
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUSTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "44. Stadium cheer"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. Glance through"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of scanning; systematic examination of a prescribed region
  • Similar words include: glance over, rake, CAT scan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "46. Reader's Digest or Golf Digest, in brief"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
  • Similar words include: magazine
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "47. Where clams are served"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "49. Knotted (up)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord
  • Similar words include: connect, draw, level
  • Opposite of: untied, disconnect
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "51. Rep.'s counterpart"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "54. "Makes no difference to me""

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "57. Actress Kendrick"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a former copper coin of pakistan and india
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "59. Hourly pay rate"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that remunerates
  • Similar words include: pay, salary, earnings
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "60. Flock that honks"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
  • Similar words include: goose, goofball, jackass
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GEESE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "61. Follow directions"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be obedient to
  • Opposite of: disobey
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OBEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "62. Conga, for one"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
  • Similar words include: cram, grind away, bone
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "64. Scottish girl"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a girl or young woman who is unmarried
  • Similar words include: lassie, jeune fille, young girl
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "65. Place to get a rubdown"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40A: "66. Voting spots"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the place where people vote
  • Similar words include: public opinion poll, crown, canvass
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POLLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Thickens, as cream 5
2D 2. Not heavy 5
3D 3. Narrow way between city buildings 5
4D 4. Whole bunch 4
5D 5. Horse's ancestral line 8
6D 6. Hearty embrace 7
7D 7. Roman poet who wrote "Metamorphoses" 4
8D 8. Dull-witted sort 8
9D 9. Eschew 5
10D 10. Frantic scrambles 9
11D 11. Rock subgenre with confessional lyrics 3
12D 12. "All Things Considered" airer 3
13D 14. "Fiddlesticks!" 4
14D 20. D.C.'s National ___ 3
15D 21. Kind of number on an old business card 3
16D 25. Change gears 5
17D 26. Religious offshoots 5
18D 27. Top-tier 4
19D 29. Pinot ___ 4
20D 31. Give 0 stars in a review, say 5
21D 32. One giving support during childbirth 5
22D 33. High-quality reds and whites 9
23D 34. Something to noodle on 4
24D 35. Drink very quickly 4
25D 37. Glitterati 8
26D 39. Shortfall of exports vis-Γ -vis imports 8
27D 42. One of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean 7
28D 45. Droop 3
29D 46. "It's just OK" 3
30D 48. Occasions for blowing out candles on cakes, informally 5
31D 50. Agenda bullet point 4
32D 51. Linger (on), as a topic 5
33D 52. Art supporter 5
34D 53. Mike who voiced Shrek in "Shrek" 5
35D 55. Wyatt at the O.K. Corral 4
36D 56. Make over 4
37D 57. Early leader in instant messaging 3
38D 58. Org. for the Raptors, but not the Blue Jays 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Thickens, as cream"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lump of material formed from the content of a liquid
  • Similar words include: clog, coagulum, clabber
  • Opposite of: homogenize
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Not heavy"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
  • Similar words include: easy, Light Within, illumine
  • Opposite of: extinguish, heavy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIGHT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Narrow way between city buildings"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a narrow street with walls on both sides
  • Similar words include: alleyway, back street, skittle alley
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALLEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Whole bunch"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
  • Similar words include: heap, mountain, spate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Horse's ancestral line"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the descendants of one individual
  • Similar words include: stemma, stock, line
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEDIGREE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Hearty embrace"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Roman poet who wrote "Metamorphoses""

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that roman poet remembered for his elegiac verses on love (43 bc - ad 17)
  • Similar words include: Publius Ovidius Naso
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Dull-witted sort"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Eschew"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
  • Similar words include: head off, obviate, annul
  • Opposite of: validate, confront
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVOID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Frantic scrambles"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Rock subgenre with confessional lyrics"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "All Things Considered" airer"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. "Fiddlesticks!""

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "20. D.C.'s National ___"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition
  • Similar words include: menagerie, zoological garden
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ZOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Kind of number on an old business card"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that duplicator that transmits the copy by wire or radio
  • Similar words include: facsimile, facsimile machine, telefax
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "25. Change gears"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an event in which something is displaced without rotation
  • Similar words include: shift key, agitate, transfer
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHIFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Religious offshoots"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a subdivision of a larger religious group
  • Similar words include: sect, religious sect, faction
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SECTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Top-tier"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the supreme effort one can make
  • Similar words include: Charles Herbert Best, sound, serious
  • Opposite of: badly, bad
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Pinot ___"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "31. Give 0 stars in a review, say"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that find repugnant
  • Similar words include: execrate, loathe, abominate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABHOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. One giving support during childbirth"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an assistant (often the father of the soon-to-be-born child) who provides support for a woman in labor by encouraging her to use techniques learned in childbirth-preparation classes
  • Similar words include: birthing coach, monitrice, labor coach
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOULA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. High-quality reds and whites"

9 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. Something to noodle on"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
  • Similar words include: melodic theme, theme, approximation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Drink very quickly"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the dull explosive noise made by an engine
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHUG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. Glitterati"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Shortfall of exports vis-Γ -vis imports"

8 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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27D: "42. One of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean"

7 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the largest of the islands comprising antigua and barbuda
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTIGUA

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28D: "45. Droop"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shape that sags
  • Similar words include: flag, swag, sag down
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAG

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29D: "46. "It's just OK""

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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30D: "48. Occasions for blowing out candles on cakes, informally"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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31D: "50. Agenda bullet point"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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32D: "51. Linger (on), as a topic"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that think moodily or anxiously about something
  • Similar words include: inhabit, lie, harp
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DWELL

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33D: "52. Art supporter"

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASEL

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34D: "53. Mike who voiced Shrek in "Shrek""

5 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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35D: "55. Wyatt at the O.K. Corral"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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36D: "56. Make over"

4 letters πŸ’­ Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that do over, as of (part of) a house
  • Similar words include: remodel, refashion, reconstruct
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDO

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37D: "57. Early leader in instant messaging"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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38D: "58. Org. for the Raptors, but not the Blue Jays"

3 letters πŸ’­ Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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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

40 Across Clues
38 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

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Last updated: February 16, 2026 at 05:14 AM