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Tuesday, September 16, 2025

July 12, 2021 NYT Clues Solutions | XWordHint

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Puzzle Overview & Difficulty Analysis

Date: Monday, July 12, 2021

Difficulty Level: Medium Tuesday Puzzle

Total Clues: 78 (35 Across, 43 Down)

Average Word Length: 4.8 letters

July 12, 2021 Across Hints: NYT Monday Crossword Answers

No. Clue Letters
1A 1. Hard to understand 6
2A 7. Vegan protein source 4
3A 11. Electric guitarist's need 3
4A 14. It makes an auto shine 6
5A 15. Spirited horse 4
6A 16. Luau finger food 3
7A 17. Song lyric before "short and stout" 15
8A 20. Turn down, as lights 3
9A 21. "Check this out!" 4
10A 22. Out of practice 5
11A 23. "The Simpsons" character voiced by Nancy Cartwright 4
12A 24. ___ to the throne 4
13A 26. Attorney general under George W. Bush 15
14A 33. Sully 5
15A 34. 1960s Ron Howard TV role 4
16A 35. Eggs in a fertility lab 3
17A 36. End of a cigarette or rifle 4
18A 37. Were in accord 5
19A 39. Nephew of Donald Duck 4
20A 40. Number that never goes down 3
21A 41. Morrison who said "A writer's life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity" 4
22A 42. Some pork cuts 5
23A 43. Appeasing, idiomatically 15
24A 47. Writes 4
25A 48. Gape 4
26A 49. What designated drivers should be 5
27A 52. Taurus symbol 4
28A 53. Give silent approval 3
29A 56. Grilled Japanese dish on skewers 15
30A 60. What a dipstick measures the level of 3
31A 61. Prep for publication 4
32A 62. Where this puzzle's circled letters can be found 6
33A 63. Part of the body that's stubbed 3
34A 64. Trick 4
35A 65. ___ network 6

Let's Solve the Across Clues Together!

Here are helpful hints to solve each clue. Remember, crossword puzzles are like word games - have fun with them!

Clue 1 Across: "1. Hard to understand"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
  • The word looks like this: ______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ARCANE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 2 Across: "7. Vegan protein source"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that cheeselike food made of curdled soybean milk
  • Words that mean the same thing: bean curd
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TOFU

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 3 Across: "11. Electric guitarist's need"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the basic unit of electric current adopted under the systeme international d'unites
  • Words that mean the same thing: adenylic acid, A, ampere
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: AMP

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 4 Across: "14. It makes an auto shine"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: CARWAX

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 5 Across: "15. Spirited horse"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a member of a semitic people originally from the arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks arabic and who inhabits much of the middle east and northern africa
  • Words that mean the same thing: Arabian
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ARAB

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 6 Across: "16. Luau finger food"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about food & drink.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that hawaiian dish of taro root pounded to a paste and often allowed to ferment
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: POI

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 7 Across: "17. Song lyric before "short and stout""

Quick Info: This answer has 15 letters. It's a expert clue about music.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _______________
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: IMALITTLETEAPOT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 8 Across: "20. Turn down, as lights"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam
  • Words that mean the same thing: wispy, dumb, bleak
  • The opposite would be: undimmed, focus
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: DIM

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 9 Across: "21. "Check this out!""

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the feelings expressed on a person's face
  • Words that mean the same thing: feeling, reckon, spirit
  • The opposite would be: back
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: LOOK

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 10 Across: "22. Out of practice"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that covered with or consisting of rust
  • Words that mean the same thing: rust, rust-brown, hoary
  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: RUSTY

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 11 Across: "23. "The Simpsons" character voiced by Nancy Cartwright"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a member of the british order of honor; ranks below a baron but above a knight
  • Words that mean the same thing: baronet
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BART

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 12 Across: "24. ___ to the throne"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another
  • Words that mean the same thing: heritor, successor, inheritor
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: HEIR

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 13 Across: "26. Attorney general under George W. Bush"

Quick Info: This answer has 15 letters. It's a expert clue about history.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _______________
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ALBERTOGONZALES

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 14 Across: "33. Sully"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the state of being contaminated
  • Words that mean the same thing: contamination, defile, sully
  • The opposite would be: disinfect
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TAINT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 15 Across: "34. 1960s Ron Howard TV role"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about history.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: OPIE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 16 Across: "35. Eggs in a fertility lab"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the female reproductive cell; the female gamete
  • Words that mean the same thing: egg cell, ovum
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: OVA

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 17 Across: "36. End of a cigarette or rifle"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that thick end of the handle
  • Words that mean the same thing: arse, border, laughingstock
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BUTT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 18 Across: "37. Were in accord"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
  • Words that mean the same thing: match, balk, jib
  • The opposite would be: disagree
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: JIBED

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 19 Across: "39. Nephew of Donald Duck"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: HUEY

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 20 Across: "40. Number that never goes down"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that how long something has existed
  • Words that mean the same thing: historic period, old age, senesce
  • The opposite would be: rejuvenate
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: AGE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 21 Across: "41. Morrison who said "A writer's life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity""

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about literature.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TONI

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 22 Across: "42. Some pork cuts"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the lower part of the abdomen just above the external genital organs
  • Words that mean the same thing: pubes, lumbus, pubic region
  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: LOINS

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 23 Across: "43. Appeasing, idiomatically"

Quick Info: This answer has 15 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _______________
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: THROWINGABONETO

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 24 Across: "47. Writes"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
  • Words that mean the same thing: pen, compose, playpen
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: PENS

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 25 Across: "48. Gape"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that an awkward stupid person
  • Words that mean the same thing: gape, goggle, lout
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: GAWK

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 26 Across: "49. What designated drivers should be"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about geography.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that cause to become sober
  • Words that mean the same thing: sedate, grave, solemn
  • The opposite would be: intoxicated, playful
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: SOBER

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 27 Across: "52. Taurus symbol"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
  • Words that mean the same thing: dogshit, papal bull, copper
  • The opposite would be: bear
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BULL

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 28 Across: "53. Give silent approval"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a sign of assent or salutation or command
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: NOD

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 29 Across: "56. Grilled Japanese dish on skewers"

Quick Info: This answer has 15 letters. It's a expert clue about food & drink.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _______________
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: CHICKENYAKITORI

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 30 Across: "60. What a dipstick measures the level of"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water
  • Words that mean the same thing: oil color, crude, rock oil
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: OIL

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 31 Across: "61. Prep for publication"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting
  • Words that mean the same thing: blue-pencil, cut, edit out
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: EDIT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 32 Across: "62. Where this puzzle's circled letters can be found"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the second largest continent; located to the south of europe and bordered to the west by the south atlantic and to the east by the indian ocean
  • The word looks like this: ______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: AFRICA

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 33 Across: "63. Part of the body that's stubbed"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that one of the digits of the foot
  • Words that mean the same thing: toenail
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TOE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 34 Across: "64. Trick"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a person who is tricked or swindled
  • Words that mean the same thing: victim, gull, cod
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: DUPE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 35 Across: "65. ___ network"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that of or relating to the nervous system
  • Words that mean the same thing: nervous, neuronic, neuronal
  • The word looks like this: ______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: NEURAL

    Great job if you got it right!

NYT Monday Crossword Down Clues - July 12, 2021 Answers

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. The "A" of DNA 4
2D 2. Oscar-winning Malek 4
3D 3. Do some last-minute studying 4
4D 4. Leatherworker's pointed tool 3
5D 5. Fancy work from a manicurist 7
6D 6. Squeeze money from 6
7D 7. Format of much AM radio 4
8D 8. Metal in a mine 3
9D 9. What Jack Sprat couldn't eat, in a nursery rhyme 3
10D 10. Transform using mobile technology, as a market 7
11D 11. TikTok and Zoom, for two 4
12D 12. Not worth debating 4
13D 13. Feel sorry for 4
14D 18. Band with the 1983 #1 hit "62-Across" 4
15D 19. Surrounding glow 4
16D 23. Like the wire in paper clips 4
17D 24. "Cross my heart and ___ to die" 4
18D 25. Oklahoma city 4
19D 26. Facing the pitcher 5
20D 27. Ha-ha 5
21D 28. Dog to avoid 5
22D 29. Pull out all the stops 5
23D 30. Nephew of Donald Duck 5
24D 31. 100- or 200-meter, e.g. 5
25D 32. Final authority 5
26D 37. Enlist 4
27D 38. Quaint lodgings 4
28D 39. Sound of a car or goose 4
29D 41. Brought up the rear? 7
30D 42. Disreputable sort 7
31D 44. International grp. with a 1970s U.S. embargo 4
32D 45. Water: Sp. 4
33D 46. Southeast Europe's ___ Peninsula 6
34D 49. Person who may speak with a brogue 4
35D 50. Home of Cincinnati 4
36D 51. Ill humor 4
37D 52. Unit that may be preceded by kilo-, mega- or giga- 4
38D 53. Black: Fr. 4
39D 54. Killer whale 4
40D 55. Telephone 4
41D 57. Univ. URL ending 3
42D 58. ___ in the bud 3
43D 59. ___TV (cable channel with "Impractical Jokers") 3

Now Let's Solve the Down Clues!

Down clues go from top to bottom. Use the letters from your across answers to help!

Clue 1 Down: "1. The "A" of DNA"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be 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
  • Words that mean the same thing: caustic, acidulous, blistering
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ACID

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 2 Down: "2. Oscar-winning Malek"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about movies/film.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the posterior part of the mandible that is more or less vertical
  • Words that mean the same thing: ramus
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: RAMI

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 3 Down: "3. Do some last-minute studying"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that crowd or pack to capacity
  • Words that mean the same thing: wad, chock up, swot up
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: CRAM

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 4 Down: "4. Leatherworker's pointed tool"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a pointed tool for marking surfaces or for punching small holes
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: AWL

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 5 Down: "5. Fancy work from a manicurist"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: NAILART

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 6 Down: "6. Squeeze money from"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that obtain through intimidation
  • Words that mean the same thing: rack, gouge, squeeze
  • The word looks like this: ______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: EXTORT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 7 Down: "7. Format of much AM radio"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that an exchange of ideas via conversation
  • Words that mean the same thing: lecture, public lecture, utter
  • The opposite would be: keep quiet
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TALK

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 8 Down: "8. Metal in a mine"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ORE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 9 Down: "9. What Jack Sprat couldn't eat, in a nursery rhyme"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue and consisting of a mixture of lipids (mostly triglycerides)
  • Words that mean the same thing: fatty tissue, productive, plump out
  • The opposite would be: nonfat, thin
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: FAT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 10 Down: "10. Transform using mobile technology, as a market"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: UBERIZE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 11 Down: "11. TikTok and Zoom, for two"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: APPS

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 12 Down: "12. Not worth debating"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a hypothetical case that law students argue as an exercise
  • Words that mean the same thing: debate, disputable, deliberate
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: MOOT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 13 Down: "13. Feel sorry for"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
  • Words that mean the same thing: feel for, sympathize with, compassionate
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: PITY

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 14 Down: "18. Band with the 1983 #1 hit "62-Across""

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TOTO

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 15 Down: "19. Surrounding glow"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure
  • Words that mean the same thing: atmosphere, aureole, glory
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: AURA

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 16 Down: "23. Like the wire in paper clips"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
  • Words that mean the same thing: bow, hang, stoop
  • The opposite would be: unbend, straighten
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BENT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 17 Down: "24. "Cross my heart and ___ to die""

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a specific instance of feeling hopeful
  • Words that mean the same thing: trust, desire, Leslie Townes Hope
  • The opposite would be: despair
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: HOPE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 18 Down: "25. Oklahoma city"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about geography.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a town in north central oklahoma
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ENID

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 19 Down: "26. Facing the pitcher"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ATBAT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 20 Down: "27. Ha-ha"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the sound of laughing
  • Words that mean the same thing: jape, joke, gag
  • The opposite would be: cry
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: LAUGH

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 21 Down: "28. Dog to avoid"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that someone who bites
  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BITER

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 22 Down: "29. Pull out all the stops"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: GOBIG

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 23 Down: "30. Nephew of Donald Duck"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: LOUIE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 24 Down: "31. 100- or 200-meter, e.g."

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that something that happens at a given place and time
  • Words that mean the same thing: outcome, upshot, result
  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: EVENT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 25 Down: "32. Final authority"

Quick Info: This answer has 5 letters. It's a medium clue about celebrity/entertainment.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: SAYSO

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 26 Down: "37. Enlist"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made
  • Words that mean the same thing: link up, fall in, conjoin
  • The opposite would be: disjoin
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: JOIN

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 27 Down: "38. Quaint lodgings"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
  • Words that mean the same thing: hostel, lodge, inn
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: INNS

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 28 Down: "39. Sound of a car or goose"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the cry of a goose (or any sound resembling this)
  • Words that mean the same thing: regorge, cronk, regurgitate
  • The opposite would be: keep down
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: HONK

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 29 Down: "41. Brought up the rear?"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a expert clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: _______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TWERKED

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 30 Down: "42. Disreputable sort"

Quick Info: This answer has 7 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
  • Words that mean the same thing: scum bag, skunk, rotter
  • The word looks like this: _______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: LOWLIFE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 31 Down: "44. International grp. with a 1970s U.S. embargo"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that an organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum
  • Words that mean the same thing: Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: OPEC

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 32 Down: "45. Water: Sp."

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that largest known toad species; native to central america; valuable destroyer of insect pests
  • Words that mean the same thing: agua toad, Bufo marinus
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: AGUA

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 33 Down: "46. Southeast Europe's ___ Peninsula"

Quick Info: This answer has 6 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that an inhabitant of the balkan peninsula
  • The word looks like this: ______
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BALKAN

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 34 Down: "49. Person who may speak with a brogue"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a native or inhabitant of scotland
  • Words that mean the same thing: Scotchman, Scotsman
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: SCOT

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 35 Down: "50. Home of Cincinnati"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a midwestern state in north central united states in the great lakes region
  • Words that mean the same thing: Buckeye State, Ohio River, OH
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: OHIO

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 36 Down: "51. Ill humor"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder; aids in the digestion of fats
  • Words that mean the same thing: gall
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BILE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 37 Down: "52. Unit that may be preceded by kilo-, mega- or giga-"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a hard clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: BYTE

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 38 Down: "53. Black: Fr."

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: NOIR

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 39 Down: "54. Killer whale"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a medium clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas
  • Words that mean the same thing: Orcinus orca, killer whale, sea wolf
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: ORCA

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 40 Down: "55. Telephone"

Quick Info: This answer has 4 letters. It's a easy clue about general knowledge.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that the face of a timepiece; graduated to show the hours
  • Words that mean the same thing: telephone dial
  • The word looks like this: ____
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: DIAL

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 41 Down: "57. Univ. URL ending"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a easy clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: EDU

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 42 Down: "58. ___ in the bud"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • This could be something that a small drink of liquor
  • Words that mean the same thing: pinch, twinge, savor
  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: NIP

    Great job if you got it right!

Clue 43 Down: "59. ___TV (cable channel with "Impractical Jokers")"

Quick Info: This answer has 3 letters. It's a medium clue about short answer.

Here's how to solve it:

  • The word looks like this: ___
  • Still stuck? Remember to use the crossing words to help you!
  • Ready for the answer? Click here!

    The answer is: TRU

    Great job if you got it right!

Category Breakdown

Category Number of Clues Percentage
General Knowledge 55 70.5%
Short Answer 13 16.7%
Food & Drink 2 2.6%
History 2 2.6%
Geography 2 2.6%
Music 1 1.3%
Literature 1 1.3%
Movies/Film 1 1.3%
Celebrity/Entertainment 1 1.3%

Complete Puzzle Statistics

Metric Value
Across Clues 35
Down Clues 43
Total Clues 78
Average Answer Length 4.8 letters
Shortest Answer 3 letters
Longest Answer 15 letters

Fun Tips to Solve Crossword Puzzles!

  • Start with short words first - they're usually easier!
  • Look for clues with blanks to fill in - these are like fill-in-the-blank questions at school
  • When letters cross, they must be the same in both words - this helps you check if you're right!
  • Today is Monday, and these puzzles are usually medium level
  • Most clues today are about general knowledge
  • The average word today has about 4 letters
  • Remember: It's okay to take breaks and come back later with fresh eyes!
  • Ask someone for help if you need it - crosswords are more fun with friends!

Explore more crossword solutions and helpful guides to improve your solving skills:

Disclaimer: Crossword clues are property of The New York Times. This educational content is designed to help puzzle enthusiasts improve their solving skills.

Last Updated: September 16, 2025 at 09:23 AM

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 11, 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. Lewis Carroll's "The ___ and the Carpenter" 6
2A 7. Something you might leave at the front door when entering a house 4
3A 11. "Yeah, right!" 4
4A 15. Quantity 6
5A 16. Words from someone who failed to understand 9
6A 18. "Oh, for heaven's sake!" 16
7A 20. Show contempt for, in a way 7
8A 21. Rain delay coverings 5
9A 22. Poet's dusk 3
10A 23. Mystical stuff 6
11A 26. "We don't discriminate in this workplace," in job ads 3
12A 29. Newfoundland or Labrador retriever 8
13A 31. Transcript fig. 3
14A 34. Openly resists 6
15A 36. "Then, window, let day in, and let ___ out": Juliet 4
16A 37. Smile broadly 4
17A 38. Arduous routine 5
18A 39. Get smart? 4
19A 40. "Priscilla" director Coppola 5
20A 41. How a German count might get started 4
21A 42. Swampy land 4
22A 43. Does the dishes? 6
23A 44. Complete collection 3
24A 45. Hoped-for prognosis for an election incumbent 8
25A 47. Twisty curve 3
26A 48. Spews out 6
27A 50. Big name in nail polish 3
28A 51. One-named singer with the 2017 platinum album "Melodrama" 5
29A 53. Trap 7
30A 57. 1957 rock 'n' roll classic suggested by this puzzle's circled letters 16
31A 62. Crème de la crème 9
32A 63. Prom, e.g. 6
33A 64. Iconic bit of NPR merch 4
34A 65. Confront 4
35A 66. Puts icing on 6

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Lewis Carroll's "The ___ and the Carpenter""

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory tusks and tough hide over thick blubber
  • Similar words include: seahorse, sea horse
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WALRUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "7. Something you might leave at the front door when entering a house"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
  • Similar words include: skid, horseshoe, brake shoe
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. "Yeah, right!""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. Quantity"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quantity of money
  • Similar words include: add up, amount of money, number
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. Words from someone who failed to understand"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. "Oh, for heaven's sake!""

16 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "20. Show contempt for, in a way"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "21. Rain delay coverings"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that waterproofed canvas
  • Similar words include: tarp, tarpaulin
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Poet's dusk"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Mystical stuff"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that information known only to a special group
  • Similar words include: arcanum, secret
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARCANA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "26. "We don't discriminate in this workplace," in job ads"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "29. Newfoundland or Labrador retriever"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "31. Transcript fig."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted
  • Similar words include: grade point average
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GPA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "34. Openly resists"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that resist or confront with resistance
  • Similar words include: dare, refuse, defy
  • Opposite of: lend oneself
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEFIES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "36. "Then, window, let day in, and let ___ out": Juliet"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a characteristic state or mode of living
  • Similar words include: spirit, animation, life story
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIFE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "37. Smile broadly"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
  • Similar words include: broadcast, transmit, irradiation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "38. Arduous routine"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an insignificant student who is ridiculed as being affected or boringly studious
  • Similar words include: crunch, moil, dig
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRIND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "39. Get smart?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. "Priscilla" director Coppola"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that capital and largest city of bulgaria located in western bulgaria
  • Similar words include: Serdica, Bulgarian capital
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. How a German count might get started"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "42. Swampy land"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
  • Similar words include: bog down, grind to a halt, quagmire
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. Does the dishes?"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance
  • Similar words include: ply, supply, cater
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CATERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Complete collection"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Hoped-for prognosis for an election incumbent"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "47. Twisty curve"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
  • Similar words include: Es, atomic number 99, einsteinium
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "48. Spews out"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that put out or expel from a place
  • Similar words include: turf out, expel, eject
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EJECTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. Big name in nail polish"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "51. One-named singer with the 2017 platinum album "Melodrama""

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. Trap"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that take or catch as if in a snare or trap
  • Similar words include: trammel, entrap, frame
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENSNARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "57. 1957 rock 'n' roll classic suggested by this puzzle's circled letters"

16 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "62. Crème de la crème"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "63. Prom, e.g."

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lavish dance requiring formal attire
  • Similar words include: courtly, schematic, dinner gown
  • Opposite of: informal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FORMAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "64. Iconic bit of NPR merch"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a capacious bag or basket
  • Similar words include: lug, tote bag, tug
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "65. Confront"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
  • Similar words include: grimace, human face, confront
  • Opposite of: avoid, back
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "66. Puts icing on"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
  • Similar words include: icing, ice, freeze
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FROSTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Tail or finger motion 3
2D 2. Andy's partner in an old radio sitcom 4
3D 3. State bird of Minnesota 4
4D 4. Ill-mannered 4
5D 5. Superfluous 8
6D 6. Purchases for some audiophiles 7
7D 7. Part of GPS: Abbr. 4
8D 8. Not share, as the covers 3
9D 9. Taylor Swift's "___ Song" 3
10D 10. She, in São Paulo 3
11D 11. ___ pear (applelike fruit) 5
12D 12. Cost required to stow furniture, say 10
13D 13. "My turn to play!" 4
14D 14. Come clean, with "up" 4
15D 17. Eightsome 5
16D 19. Belted out 4
17D 23. Comes into play 6
18D 24. Play callers? 4
19D 25. It's for "cookie," to Cookie Monster 3
20D 26. Sides 5
21D 27. Inducing goose bumps 5
22D 28. Worth exploring 10
23D 30. Plays at full blast 6
24D 32. What pants come in that shirts don't 5
25D 33. Accumulate 5
26D 35. Useful contacts 3
27D 37. Online automaton 3
28D 39. Search (through) 4
29D 40. Replaced as a substitute 8
30D 42. ___ and cheese 3
31D 43. Finishes with flair 7
32D 45. Take care of, as a task 5
33D 46. Seeming eternities 4
34D 49. Matchmaking site with a "synagogue attendance" filter 5
35D 51. Pride Month letters 4
36D 52. Black-and-white mouthful 4
37D 53. Actress Fanning 4
38D 54. Lead-in to Cuban or Caribbean 4
39D 55. Glasses sans glass 4
40D 56. Q.E.D. part 4
41D 58. Fave pal 3
42D 59. Small battery 3
43D 60. Cousin of Inc. 3
44D 61. Enrollment center? 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Tail or finger motion"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a witty amusing person who makes jokes
  • Similar words include: waggle, wit, shake
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAG

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2D: "2. Andy's partner in an old radio sitcom"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hebrew shepherd and minor prophet
  • Similar words include: Book of Amos
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOS

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3D: "3. State bird of Minnesota"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a worthless lazy fellow
  • Similar words include: addlehead, birdbrain, addle-head
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOON

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4D: "4. Ill-mannered"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that socially incorrect in behavior
  • Similar words include: raw, natural, unmannered
  • Opposite of: civil
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUDE

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5D: "5. Superfluous"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not necessary
  • Similar words include: unnecessary
  • Opposite of: necessary
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNNEEDED

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6D: "6. Purchases for some audiophiles"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that reproducer in which two microphones feed two or more loudspeakers to give a three-dimensional effect to the sound
  • Similar words include: stereoscopic photograph, stereophony, stereoscopic picture
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEREOS

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7D: "7. Part of GPS: Abbr."

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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8D: "8. Not share, as the covers"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person regarded as greedy and pig-like
  • Similar words include: hogget, Sus scrofa, hogg
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOG

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9D: "9. Taylor Swift's "___ Song""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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10D: "10. She, in São Paulo"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an extreme leftist terrorist group formed in greece in 1971 to oppose the military junta that ruled greece from 1967 to 1974; a revolutionary group opposed to capitalism and imperialism and the united states
  • Similar words include: Revolutionary People's Struggle
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELA

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11D: "11. ___ pear (applelike fruit)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of asia
  • Similar words include: Asiatic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASIAN

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12D: "12. Cost required to stow furniture, say"

10 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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13D: "13. "My turn to play!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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14D: "14. Come clean, with "up""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (heraldry) an ordinary consisting of a broad horizontal band across a shield
  • Similar words include: Fes, Fez, fesse
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FESS

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15D: "17. Eightsome"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
  • Similar words include: ogdoad, eighter, VIII
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCTAD

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16D: "19. Belted out"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that north american woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the chinese ginseng
  • Similar words include: blab, Panax quinquefolius, peach
  • Opposite of: keep quiet
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANG

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17D: "23. Comes into play"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that come into existence; take on form or shape
  • Similar words include: turn out, go up, bob up
  • Opposite of: turn in, go to bed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARISES

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18D: "24. Play callers?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (sports) the chief official (as in boxing or american football) who is expected to ensure fair play
  • Similar words include: referee, ref
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REFS

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19D: "25. It's for "cookie," to Cookie Monster"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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20D: "26. Sides"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the boundary of a surface
  • Similar words include: inch, butt on, sharpness
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDGES

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21D: "27. Inducing goose bumps"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
  • Similar words include: eery
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EERIE

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22D: "28. Worth exploring"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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23D: "30. Plays at full blast"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loud harsh or strident noise
  • Similar words include: blare, din, clamor
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLARES

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24D: "32. What pants come in that shirts don't"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a set of two similar things considered as a unit
  • Similar words include: couplet, brace, pair off
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAIRS

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25D: "33. Accumulate"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that collect or gather
  • Similar words include: pile up, compile, collect
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMASS

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26D: "35. Useful contacts"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an agency in the department of justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the united states
  • Similar words include: inch, indium, IN
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INS

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27D: "37. Online automaton"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that botfly larva; typically develops inside the body of a horse or sheep or human
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOT

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28D: "39. Search (through)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move as if through a sieve
  • Similar words include: sieve, strain
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIFT

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29D: "40. Replaced as a substitute"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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30D: "42. ___ and cheese"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
  • Similar words include: mack, mackintosh, macintosh
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAC

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31D: "43. Finishes with flair"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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32D: "45. Take care of, as a task"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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33D: "46. Seeming eternities"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the longest division of geological time
  • Similar words include: aeon, eon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EONS

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34D: "49. Matchmaking site with a "synagogue attendance" filter"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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35D: "51. Pride Month letters"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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36D: "52. Black-and-white mouthful"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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37D: "53. Actress Fanning"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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38D: "54. Lead-in to Cuban or Caribbean"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rounded thickly curled hairdo
  • Similar words include: Afro hairdo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRO

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39D: "55. Glasses sans glass"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
  • Similar words include: brim, rim, flange
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIMS

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40D: "56. Q.E.D. part"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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41D: "58. Fave pal"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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42D: "59. Small battery"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta associated with old age and hypertension
  • Similar words include: abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AAA

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43D: "60. Cousin of Inc."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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44D: "61. Enrollment center?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
  • Similar words include: altitude, EL, elevated railway
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Expert Solving Strategies

Start Smart

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

Decode the Clues

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

Use Cross-References

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

Build Vocabulary

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

Today's Puzzle Stats

35 Across Clues
44 Down Clues
79 Total Clues

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Last updated: February 11, 2026 at 05:15 AM