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 (65 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (75 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. Touch up text | 4 |
| 2A | 5. One might be used for stepping up or sitting down | 5 |
| 3A | 10. Hoot or holler | 4 |
| 4A | 14. "Let's go, guys!" | 4 |
| 5A | 18. Like the Islamic calendar | 5 |
| 6A | 20. Windy City airport | 5 |
| 7A | 21. Birmingham bum | 4 |
| 8A | 22. "Stay in your ___!" | 4 |
| 9A | 23. Fashion item for an aspiring grocer? | 11 |
| 10A | 25. ... for an aspiring nanny? | 9 |
| 11A | 27. Place to dive in | 7 |
| 12A | 28. Became apparent | 5 |
| 13A | 30. Stands around an art gallery | 6 |
| 14A | 31. Neither's counterpart | 3 |
| 15A | 32. Small detail | 4 |
| 16A | 33. Central | 5 |
| 17A | 34. ... for an aspiring manicurist? | 13 |
| 18A | 40. Outmoded component of a car's dashboard | 7 |
| 19A | 43. Biblical garden | 4 |
| 20A | 44. Did some doughnuts? | 5 |
| 21A | 45. Dermatology case | 4 |
| 22A | 47. What gives a wine tartness | 4 |
| 23A | 48. Quip | 3 |
| 24A | 49. Fragile mineral | 4 |
| 25A | 50. ... for an aspiring housekeeper? | 10 |
| 26A | 53. Scored 100 on a test | 6 |
| 27A | 55. Soaks up the sun | 4 |
| 28A | 59. ___ One (presidential helicopter) | 6 |
| 29A | 60. Church spaces | 5 |
| 30A | 61. Your wish is his command | 5 |
| 31A | 62. Córdoba's country: Abbr. | 3 |
| 32A | 63. Soccer star Hamm | 3 |
| 33A | 66. Corporate fashion advice embraced by the candidates in eight clues | 21 |
| 34A | 72. One in 100: Abbr. | 3 |
| 35A | 73. Ming in the Basketball Hall of Fame | 3 |
| 36A | 74. Holiday seasons | 5 |
| 37A | 75. Works on an ice cream cone | 5 |
| 38A | 76. Tawdry | 6 |
| 39A | 79. All over again | 4 |
| 40A | 80. Japanese floor mat | 6 |
| 41A | 81. ... for an aspiring travel agent? | 10 |
| 42A | 85. In the distance | 4 |
| 43A | 87. Wiping cloth | 3 |
| 44A | 88. Italian cooking staple, for short | 4 |
| 45A | 89. "Progress through technology" automaker | 4 |
| 46A | 90. Like contact lenses for astigmatism | 5 |
| 47A | 92. "I wasn't ___ yesterday" | 4 |
| 48A | 93. Make it through | 7 |
| 49A | 96. ... for an aspiring dry cleaner? | 13 |
| 50A | 99. Machines in some print shops | 5 |
| 51A | 100. Tour de France peaks | 4 |
| 52A | 101. Nutrient in avocados | 3 |
| 53A | 102. Apartment cooler, for short | 6 |
| 54A | 104. Palm spring? | 5 |
| 55A | 106. Stroll | 7 |
| 56A | 110. ... for an aspiring flutist? | 9 |
| 57A | 112. ... for an aspiring photographer? | 11 |
| 58A | 115. Used the doorbell | 4 |
| 59A | 116. Hides | 4 |
| 60A | 117. As of now | 5 |
| 61A | 118. Solution strength | 5 |
| 62A | 119. It has its ups and downs | 4 |
| 63A | 120. Accomplishment | 4 |
| 64A | 121. UnitedHealthcare competitor | 5 |
| 65A | 122. Absolutely nothing | 4 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Touch up text"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting
- Similar words include: cut, edit out, redact
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "5. One might be used for stepping up or sitting down"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a simple seat without a back or arms
- Similar words include: defecate, tiller, ca-ca
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOOL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3A: "10. Hoot or holler"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
- Similar words include: call, shout out, scream
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YELL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4A: "14. "Let's go, guys!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CMON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5A: "18. Like the Islamic calendar"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that of or relating to or associated with the moon
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUNAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "20. Windy City airport"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OHARE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "21. Birmingham bum"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
- Similar words include: hind end, asshole, bum
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARSE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8A: "22. "Stay in your ___!""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a narrow way or road
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "23. Fashion item for an aspiring grocer?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARKETWATCH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "25. ... for an aspiring nanny?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KIDGLOVES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "27. Place to dive in"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEEPEND
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "28. Became apparent"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that come into existence; take on form or shape
- Similar words include: rise up, go up, originate
- Opposite of: fall, go to bed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AROSE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "30. Stands around an art gallery"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an upright tripod for displaying something (usually an artist's canvas)
- Similar words include: easel
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASELS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "31. Neither's counterpart"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOR
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15A: "32. Small detail"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work
- Similar words include: specification
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPEC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "33. Central"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that located inward; - leonard bernstein; - david denby; - a.r.gurney,jr.
- Similar words include: intimate, inside, privileged
- Opposite of: outer
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INNER
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17A: "34. ... for an aspiring manicurist?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIGITALSHORTS
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18A: "40. Outmoded component of a car's dashboard"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CDDRIVE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "43. Biblical garden"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
- Similar words include: paradise, promised land, Garden of Eden
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "44. Did some doughnuts?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that cook and make edible by putting in a hot oven
- Similar words include: broil, parched, adust
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAKED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "45. Dermatology case"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an inflammatory disease involving the sebaceous glands of the skin; characterized by papules or pustules or comedones
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACNE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "47. What gives a wine tartness"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt
- Similar words include: pane, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, acrid
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACID
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "48. Quip"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a clever remark
- Similar words include: MOT test, bon mot, Ministry of Transportation test
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "49. Fragile mineral"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of various minerals consisting of hydrous silicates of aluminum or potassium etc. that crystallize in forms that allow perfect cleavage into very thin leaves; used as dielectrics because of their resistance to electricity
- Similar words include: isinglass
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MICA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "50. ... for an aspiring housekeeper?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DUSTJACKET
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26A: "53. Scored 100 on a test"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACEDIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "55. Soaks up the sun"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun
- Similar words include: bronze, tangent, sunburn
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TANS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "59. ___ One (presidential helicopter)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a member of the united states marine corps
- Similar words include: maritime, shipboard soldier, leatherneck
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARINE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "60. Church spaces"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the central area of a church
- Similar words include: nave
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAVES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "61. Your wish is his command"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (islam) an invisible spirit mentioned in the koran and believed by muslims to inhabit the earth and influence mankind by appearing in the form of humans or animals
- Similar words include: djinny, jinni, jinnee
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GENIE
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31A: "62. Córdoba's country: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARG
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32A: "63. Soccer star Hamm"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "66. Corporate fashion advice embraced by the candidates in eight clues"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRESSFORTHEJOBYOUWANT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34A: "72. One in 100: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fractional monetary unit of japan and indonesia and cambodia; equal to one hundredth of a yen or rupiah or riel
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35A: "73. Ming in the Basketball Hall of Fame"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YAO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
36A: "74. Holiday seasons"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that period extending from dec. 24 to jan. 6
- Similar words include: Noel, Christmas, Yuletide
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YULES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
37A: "75. Works on an ice cream cone"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a salt deposit that animals regularly lick
- Similar words include: figure out, slug, work out
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LICKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
38A: "76. Tawdry"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that morally degraded; ; ; ; - seattle weekly; - james joyce
- Similar words include: seamy, squalid, flyblown
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SORDID
Remember this word for future puzzles!
39A: "79. All over again"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that again but in a new or different way
- Similar words include: afresh
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANEW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
40A: "80. Japanese floor mat"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TATAMI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
41A: "81. ... for an aspiring travel agent?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VENTURECAP
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42A: "85. In the distance"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (old-fashioned) at or from or to a great distance; far
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
43A: "87. Wiping cloth"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small piece of cloth or paper
- Similar words include: bedevil, reprimand, call on the carpet
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
44A: "88. Italian cooking staple, for short"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVOO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
45A: "89. "Progress through technology" automaker"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AUDI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
46A: "90. Like contact lenses for astigmatism"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TORIC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
47A: "92. "I wasn't ___ yesterday""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that british nuclear physicist (born in germany) honored for his contributions to quantum mechanics (1882-1970)
- Similar words include: assume, wear, accept
- Opposite of: unborn
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BORN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
48A: "93. Make it through"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GETPAST
Remember this word for future puzzles!
49A: "96. ... for an aspiring dry cleaner?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEAMERTRUNKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
50A: "99. Machines in some print shops"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that duplicator that transmits the copy by wire or radio
- Similar words include: telefax, facsimile machine, facsimile
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAXES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
51A: "100. Tour de France peaks"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a large mountain system in south-central europe; scenic beauty and winter sports make them a popular tourist attraction
- Similar words include: the Alps, alp
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALPS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
52A: "101. Nutrient in avocados"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue and consisting of a mixture of lipids (mostly triglycerides)
- Similar words include: avoirdupois, fatten out, productive
- Opposite of: leanness, nonfat
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
53A: "102. Apartment cooler, for short"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACUNIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
54A: "104. Palm spring?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
- Similar words include: haven
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OASIS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
55A: "106. Stroll"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a careless leisurely gait
- Similar words include: perambulation, stroll, promenade
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAUNTER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
56A: "110. ... for an aspiring flutist?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a truncated cloth cone mounted on a mast; used (e.g., at airports) to show the direction of the wind
- Similar words include: windsock, sock, air-sleeve
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WINDSOCKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
57A: "112. ... for an aspiring photographer?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOTGLASSES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
58A: "115. Used the doorbell"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that sound loudly and sonorously
- Similar words include: band, ring, telephone
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RANG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
59A: "116. Hides"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
- Similar words include: pelt, fur
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FURS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
60A: "117. As of now"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
61A: "118. Solution strength"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the concentration of a solution as determined by titration
- Similar words include: titre
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TITER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
62A: "119. It has its ups and downs"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YOYO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
63A: "120. Accomplishment"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a notable achievement
- Similar words include: exploit, effort
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
64A: "121. UnitedHealthcare competitor"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AETNA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
65A: "122. Absolutely nothing"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a quantity of no importance
- Similar words include: aught, naught, cipher
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NADA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Massachusetts' state tree | 3 |
| 2D | 2. Pair | 4 |
| 3D | 3. Memo starter | 4 |
| 4D | 4. Consumed, say | 7 |
| 5D | 5. Planted | 4 |
| 6D | 6. Trumpeter Jones | 4 |
| 7D | 7. Bit in a horse's mouth? | 3 |
| 8D | 8. Group spotted on an Alaskan cruise, perhaps | 7 |
| 9D | 9. "Hanukkah in Santa Monica" songwriter Tom | 6 |
| 10D | 10. Jabbers | 4 |
| 11D | 11. Lake from which the Niagara River flows | 4 |
| 12D | 12. Trip strip | 3 |
| 13D | 13. Tale as old as time | 6 |
| 14D | 14. Anyone's game | 9 |
| 15D | 15. Independent thinker | 8 |
| 16D | 16. Justice Kagan in '83, e.g. | 4 |
| 17D | 17. Scottish loch | 4 |
| 18D | 19. Transplant, as a plant | 5 |
| 19D | 24. Large measure of computer data | 7 |
| 20D | 26. Earth | 4 |
| 21D | 29. Four 2-Downs | 5 |
| 22D | 32. Yacht's pronoun | 3 |
| 23D | 33. Freeze frames? | 8 |
| 24D | 34. Calls for | 7 |
| 25D | 35. "It's truly important to me" | 7 |
| 26D | 36. Settle the score | 7 |
| 27D | 37. Standing eau? | 3 |
| 28D | 38. Blade runner? | 6 |
| 29D | 39. Dirty film | 4 |
| 30D | 41. Compete | 3 |
| 31D | 42. Summer setting in Somerset, in brief | 3 |
| 32D | 46. Fed. intelligence group | 3 |
| 33D | 49. "Come home soon" | 7 |
| 34D | 51. "___ Dreams of Sushi" (acclaimed 2011 documentary) | 4 |
| 35D | 52. Sharp-cornered | 7 |
| 36D | 54. From abroad? | 3 |
| 37D | 56. Insect with more than 14,000 known species | 3 |
| 38D | 57. PubMed org. | 3 |
| 39D | 58. "I'm outta here!" | 5 |
| 40D | 61. Super food? | 8 |
| 41D | 63. Patisserie treat | 7 |
| 42D | 64. Stain from a pen | 7 |
| 43D | 65. Name tags? | 7 |
| 44D | 67. Jamie with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame | 4 |
| 45D | 68. End of Q2 | 3 |
| 46D | 69. World Cup cheer | 3 |
| 47D | 70. "Watch your back!" | 6 |
| 48D | 71. Intelligent humor | 3 |
| 49D | 76. Like rush-hour traffic | 9 |
| 50D | 77. Post-op area, in brief | 3 |
| 51D | 78. Pops | 4 |
| 52D | 80. Diplomatic | 7 |
| 53D | 81. Not do much of anything, say | 3 |
| 54D | 82. Night before | 3 |
| 55D | 83. Like a comedian who bombs | 8 |
| 56D | 84. Stack at a falafel shop | 5 |
| 57D | 86. Tree whose wood is used for telephone poles | 3 |
| 58D | 90. One clicking with an audience? | 7 |
| 59D | 91. Meditation syllables | 3 |
| 60D | 92. Interrupts rudely | 7 |
| 61D | 94. Grid line | 4 |
| 62D | 95. Leave on a trip | 6 |
| 63D | 97. Michigan politician Slotkin | 6 |
| 64D | 98. Charged | 5 |
| 65D | 102. Out of its correct position | 4 |
| 66D | 103. Florentine farewell | 4 |
| 67D | 104. Pod in Creole cooking | 4 |
| 68D | 105. Helper: Abbr. | 4 |
| 69D | 106. Marvel-ous Lee | 4 |
| 70D | 107. Taj Mahal city | 4 |
| 71D | 108. ___ noche (tonight: Sp.) | 4 |
| 72D | 109. Marsh grass | 4 |
| 73D | 111. Stick used for breaking | 3 |
| 74D | 113. O'er and o'er | 3 |
| 75D | 114. Madrid Mme. | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Massachusetts' state tree"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of various trees of the genus ulmus: important timber or shade trees
- Similar words include: elm tree, elmwood
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Pair"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that two items of the same kind
- Similar words include: couple, pair, twain
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DUAD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Memo starter"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INRE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Consumed, say"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAKENIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Planted"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
- Similar words include: inseminate, seeded, sow in
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOWN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Trumpeter Jones"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THAD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Bit in a horse's mouth?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that annual grass of europe and north africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: `oats')
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Group spotted on an Alaskan cruise, perhaps"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORCAPOD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. "Hanukkah in Santa Monica" songwriter Tom"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEHRER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Jabbers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that large long-haired wild ox of tibet often domesticated
- Similar words include: yakety-yak, cackle, yak
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YAKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. Lake from which the Niagara River flows"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a member of an iroquoian people formerly living on the south shore of lake erie in northern ohio and northwest pennsylvania and western new york
- Similar words include: Lake Erie
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Trip strip"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid
- Similar words include: lysergic acid diethylamide
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LSD
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13D: "13. Tale as old as time"
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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14D: "14. Anyone's game"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOSERACE
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15D: "15. Independent thinker"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action
- Similar words include: irregular, rebel, unorthodox
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAVERICK
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16D: "16. Justice Kagan in '83, e.g."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONEL
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17D: "17. Scottish loch"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a strip of land projecting into a body of water
- Similar words include: cape
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NESS
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18D: "19. Transplant, as a plant"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that put in a new, usually larger, pot
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REPOT
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19D: "24. Large measure of computer data"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a unit of information equal to 1000 gigabits or 10^12 (1,000,000,000,000) bits
- Similar words include: Tbit, Tb
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TERABIT
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20D: "26. Earth"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the land on which real estate is located
- Similar words include: commonwealth, shoot down, realm
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAND
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21D: "29. Four 2-Downs"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
- Similar words include: 8, ogdoad, VIII
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCTAD
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22D: "32. Yacht's pronoun"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHE
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23D: "33. Freeze frames?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a tray for making cubes of ice in a refrigerator
- Similar words include: icetray
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICETRAYS
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24D: "34. Calls for"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an urgent or peremptory request
- Similar words include: requirement, demand, need
- Opposite of: obviate, supply
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEMANDS
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25D: "35. "It's truly important to me""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDOCARE
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26D: "36. Settle the score"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GETEVEN
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27D: "37. Standing eau?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects; used in e.g. varnishes and sealing wax
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAC
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28D: "38. Blade runner?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who skates
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKATER
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29D: "39. Dirty film"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that worthless people
- Similar words include: trash
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCUM
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30D: "41. Compete"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others
- Similar words include: contend, compete
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIE
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31D: "42. Summer setting in Somerset, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDT
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32D: "46. Fed. intelligence group"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the united states cryptologic organization that coordinates and directs highly specialized activities to protect united states information systems and to produce foreign intelligence information
- Similar words include: National Security Agency
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NSA
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33D: "49. "Come home soon""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISSYOU
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34D: "51. "___ Dreams of Sushi" (acclaimed 2011 documentary)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JIRO
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35D: "52. Sharp-cornered"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that measured by an angle or by the rate of change of an angle
- Similar words include: angulate
- Opposite of: rounded
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANGULAR
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36D: "54. From abroad?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry
- Similar words include: stilboestrol, stilbesterol, diethylstilboestrol
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DES
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37D: "56. Insect with more than 14,000 known species"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
- Similar words include: pismire, emmet
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANT
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38D: "57. PubMed org."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an agency in the department of health and human services whose mission is to employ science in the pursuit of knowledge to improve human health; is the principal biomedical research agency of the federal government
- Similar words include: National Institutes of Health
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIH
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39D: "58. "I'm outta here!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEEYA
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40D: "61. Super food?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOODEATS
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41D: "63. Patisserie treat"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MACARON
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42D: "64. Stain from a pen"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INKMARK
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43D: "65. Name tags?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATSIGNS
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44D: "67. Jamie with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FARR
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45D: "68. End of Q2"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JUN
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46D: "69. World Cup cheer"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLE
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47D: "70. "Watch your back!""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
- Similar words include: mind
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEWARE
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48D: "71. Intelligent humor"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
- Similar words include: wittiness, card, brainpower
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WIT
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49D: "76. Like rush-hour traffic"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOPANDGO
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50D: "77. Post-op area, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a hospital unit staffed and equipped to provide intensive care
- Similar words include: intensive care unit
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICU
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51D: "78. Pops"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
- Similar words include: pa, papa, pop
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DADS
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52D: "80. Diplomatic"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that having or showing a sense of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others
- Similar words include: kid-glove
- Opposite of: tactless
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TACTFUL
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53D: "81. Not do much of anything, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant
- Similar words include: veggie, vegetable
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VEG
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54D: "82. Night before"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (old testament) adam's wife in judeo-christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; god created eve from adam's rib and placed adam and eve in the garden of eden
- Similar words include: evening, even, eventide
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVE
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55D: "83. Like a comedian who bombs"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOTFUNNY
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56D: "84. Stack at a falafel shop"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that usually small round bread that can open into a pocket for filling
- Similar words include: pita, pocket bread
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PITAS
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57D: "86. Tree whose wood is used for telephone poles"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that nonresinous wood of a fir tree
- Similar words include: fir tree, true fir
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FIR
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58D: "90. One clicking with an audience?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAPSHOE
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59D: "91. Meditation syllables"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMS
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60D: "92. Interrupts rudely"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BUTTSIN
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61D: "94. Grid line"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a straight line through a body or figure that satisfies certain conditions
- Similar words include: bloc, axis vertebra, axis of rotation
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AXIS
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62D: "95. Leave on a trip"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that structure where a wall or building narrows abruptly
- Similar words include: offset, set-back
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETOFF
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63D: "97. Michigan politician Slotkin"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELISSA
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64D: "98. Charged"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RANAT
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65D: "102. Out of its correct position"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that turned or twisted toward one side; - g.k.chesterton
- Similar words include: amiss, wrong, haywire
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AWRY
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66D: "103. Florentine farewell"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an acknowledgment that can be used to say hello or goodbye (aloha is hawaiian and ciao is italian)
- Similar words include: aloha
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIAO
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67D: "104. Pod in Creole cooking"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that long green edible beaked pods of the okra plant
- Similar words include: Abelmoschus esculentus, gumbo, okra plant
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OKRA
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68D: "105. Helper: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASST
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69D: "106. Marvel-ous Lee"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAN
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70D: "107. Taj Mahal city"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a city in northern india; former capital of the mogul empire; site of the taj mahal
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGRA
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71D: "108. ___ noche (tonight: Sp.)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESTA
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72D: "109. Marsh grass"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera arundo and phragmites
- Similar words include: beating-reed instrument, vibrating reed, John Reed
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REED
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73D: "111. Stick used for breaking"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech
- Similar words include: cue stick, pool cue, clew
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUE
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74D: "113. O'er and o'er"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that many times at short intervals
- Similar words include: oftentimes, ofttimes, often
- Opposite of: infrequently, rarely
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OFT
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75D: "114. Madrid Mme."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SRA
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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
65 Across Clues
75 Down Clues
140 Total Clues
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