9/21/26
Smartypants Saturday
Are you stuck with the Crosswords With Friends Puzzle Today? Stuck No More. We offer complete solutions as well as “no spoiler” mode to give you that little extra push. Or simply use this cheat sheet to help you get the best and fastest completion time possible.
1A
___ Punk (“Around the World” duo)
DAFT
5A
Crouched behind a couch, for example
HID
8A
“Yellowjackets” cable channel, for short
SHO
11A
“Sentimental Value” Oscar nominee Fanning
ELLE
12A
“___ Maria” (Christian song)
AVE
13A
Worn-down pencil
NUB
14A
Show off your biceps
FLEX
15A
Man’s nickname that often drops “-vatore” from the full name
SAL
16A
93-year-old singer Yoko
ONO
17A
“Blue Moon” actor who plays prisoner Samuel Murphy in “The Weight”: 2 wds.
ETHAN HAWKE
20A
Cry loudly
SOB
21A
What-___ (hypothetical questions)
IFS
22A
Michael who coanchors “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live”
CHE
25A
___-12 (Gonzaga’s athletic conference)
PAC
27A
“I beg your pardon …”
AHEM
30A
“Robin Hood” actor who plays Warden Clancy in “The Weight”: 2 wds.
RUSSELL CROWE
33A
More than zero times, but not yet twice
ONCE
34A
Verb often confused with “lie”
LAY
35A
Twisty fish
EEL
36A
Bassist’s sound booster
AMP
38A
Month when International Tuba Day is
MAY
40A
“Dexter: New Blood” actress who plays runaway Anna in “The Weight”: 2 wds.
JULIA JONES
44A
“The Living Daylights” band: Hyph.
A-HA
One Clue Crossword
WordBrain
WordBubbles!
Word Whizzle
Words Crush
45A
“This is neither the time ___ the place”
NOR
46A
Green fuzz that might grow on a rock
MOSS
49A
Spoil, like an old tomato
ROT
50A
Cube rolled in a casino game
DIE
51A
Pixar movie whose title character is an 11-year-old boy
ELIO
52A
___/her pronouns
SHE
53A
What “&” indicates
AND
54A
Dweeby person
NERD
1D
___ Jam Recordings (DJ Khaled’s record label)
DEF
2D
“___ kidding aside …”
ALL
3D
“Quick! Run to safety!”
FLEE
4D
Messages such as “lol” and “u up?”
TEXTS
5D
Enjoys oneself very much: 3 wds.
HAS A BALL
6D
Former tennis champion Lendl who coached Andy Murray
IVAN
7D
New ___ (capital of India)
DELHI
8D
Footwear used during winter precipitation
SNOWSHOE
9D
Attractive, muscular man
HUNK
10D
Instrument that represents the duck in “Peter and the Wolf”
OBOE
18D
Cape of Good ___ (feature of South Africa)
HOPE
19D
Off in the distance
AFAR
22D
___-Magnon (early human)
CRO
23D
Any of Attila’s invaders
HUN
24D
Become more and more intense
ESCALATE
26D
Talked noisily, as a crowd
CLAMORED
28D
Ram’s mate
EWE
29D
___ B (singer also known as Scary Spice)
MEL
31D
Long, heavy truck
SEMI
32D
Ink cartridge color that’s similar to aqua
CYAN
37D
Black-and-white animal from China
PANDA
39D
Country on the Arabian Sea
YEMEN
40D
Jam containers
JARS
41D
“This is worrisome”: Hyph.
UH-OH
47D
Title for Mick Jagger or Ian McKellen
JOIN
48D
Lawn material
SOLE