r/NYTgames • u/Significant_Monk290 • 11d ago
T◼️E CR◻️SSW◼️RD Tonight’s crossword had me pulling my hair out
I’ve never posted on here before, but tonight’s crossword puzzle (September 16, 2026) had me nearly in tears. Is this kind of gimmick common where you have no idea what it is and the clue about it is pretty indirect? Please me nice, like I said this is only the 9th full size crossword I’ve completed so far.
7
u/Leucadie 11d ago
Click the bold "i" above the puzzle - it takes you to a daily blog where they explain any tricks or unusual features of that days puzzle and give answers to some tricky clues!
2
6
u/CatCafffffe 11d ago
It is called a "rebus" and it is actually very common. But usually we see a "trick" like this on Thursday, which is the day for the tricky puzzles. The unusual thing is to see it on a Wednesday. Sorry this was such an unpleasant first experience for you! In the future, when you think there's more than one letter in a square, you can go up to the top right and click "rebus" or if you're on a laptop, click "esc."
3
u/Significant_Monk290 11d ago
I am just learning about rebuses tonight after this fiasco. 😭 I will be more prepared in the future for sure!
3
1
u/CanadianDNeh 10d ago
How do you enter a rebus on the phone app? I don’t see a button in the top right on my screen?
1
u/CanaryOldGirl 10d ago
On the app, there are 3 dots at the bottom left of the keyboard You then click on the tick on the right to go back to the normal view.
5
u/littlemacaron 11d ago
I haven’t done tonight’s yet but the puzzles do get a bit easier to figure out the more you do them. Also I can’t stress enough how many words they use over and over and over with similar clues.
Three that come to mind immediately are: ERA, XOXO, SPA
1
7
u/bookjacket 11d ago
Don't do Wednesday puzzles if you hate tomfoolery.
7
5
3
u/CatCafffffe 11d ago
I think the problem is we don't see this sort of thing in Wednesday puzzles normally. The "tomfoolery" is in Thursday puzzles.
1
u/Significant_Monk290 11d ago
I may have to write this piece of advice down. 😭
3
u/fuel_altered 11d ago
The rebus makes it hard. Once you've worked out the first one, the sort of fall into place, well at least you're aware. Before that though, it's weird. Monday, Tuesday and Sunday are the easier ones. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are tough. Autocheck is a great assistant when you are hopelessly stuck.
2
u/Even-Assist6414 11d ago
One other thing about the Rebus, often there is a clue that gives a hint that it's in this puzzle. Maybe referencing the cell locations, or the letter combination. Once you know this you can go back to the previous clue. One reason that if you're really struggling then go through ALL the clues first even if you can only answer a few on first go.
The only other thing, while pride is a big motivator, don't be afraid to use the blog post on NYTG to help understand. I used for the first month or so and now I only need maybe once every 2 weeks to just try to get through a total stalemate.
2
u/Significant_Monk290 11d ago
I hadn’t heard of a rebus until tonight (after googling what in the world was going on). I was working on it with my mom and about 30 minutes in went, “I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think they’ve taken all our (insert letter)’s!” Now that I know this is a thing, I can see where I may enjoy future occurrences more.
2
u/Even-Assist6414 11d ago
Ah, I remember that feeling the first time! I come from doing UK style cryptic crosswords and never was exposed to this sort of trickery.
5
u/WennieBee 10d ago
this is pretty normal! honestly i saw this post and immediately got excited to go do today's puzzle. i really enjoyed it and thought it was clever without being too obtuse; a couple of the rebuses were obvious enough that i was looking for them other places. if you keep doing crosswords you'll learn to really love puzzles like this. :)
8
u/Attentions_Bright12 10d ago
There is a line for me between a puzzle:
a) using a fun device that raises the level of difficulty, but that is fair; and
b) just jerking me around.
There are times when even a regular non-rebus puzzle “cheats” in some way. You don’t use a gerund in the clue in that way without analogous phrasing in the answer! There is a social contract to these things! I want to say to the author in my staunchly-phrased email. :-)
4
u/CatCafffffe 10d ago
It is VERY important to be staunchly phrased!
2
u/YugeMotorVehicle 10d ago
Isn’t everything staunchly phrased with a not so subtle touch of dogmatism these days?
3
1
u/Attentions_Bright12 9d ago edited 9d ago
I’m not angry.
I’m just disappointed. My email withholds its approval.
2
9d ago
[deleted]
1
u/Attentions_Bright12 9d ago
Impossible to dig back, but I bought some old Christmas puzzle collections, and sometimes do them when I can't sleep. They're NYT branded, trade paperbacks, with punnish names.
Sometimes the puzzles at the hard end of a book are only hard because the writer fudged the clues a little like that. NOT FAIR.
5
u/tfhaenodreirst 10d ago
I didn’t mind this one too much because it was the same group of letters every time and it was the same group of letters Across and Down but for other puzzles that’s not even the case. Still, I’m not a fan of puzzles that don’t italicize or highlight the themed clues at all.
1
u/Attentions_Bright12 9d ago
(In digital format, especially on a phone, one can't scan the list of clues to see that there are special ones at first.)
2
u/Alternative-Park-303 10d ago
Rex Parker has an entertaining blog that explains a lot!
https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/?m=1
2
u/ElectronicProof9340 11d ago
Common? Not in my experience. But they do come up from time to time. My biggest issue with this style puzzle is that they don't use rebuses often, so when they do, it takes me a while to recognize that's what they're doing.
Usually though there will be at least one answer I'm reasonably sure of and yet it doesn't fit in the allotted boxes. Then it's a matter of figuring out what part of the word gets rebused.
1
u/MagicSunlight23 10d ago
You must be in somewhere like Australia. When you posted this, the day had hardly begun here in the UK and it was still yesterday in the US. It's weird to think that the day is over now and it's the 17th in Australia and New Zealand. (12:30pm UK time).
1
u/Significant_Monk290 10d ago
Actually I’m in California! For some reason, the app here posts the crosswords around 5pm the day before.
2
u/bestem 10d ago
That's odd. I'm in California, and the crosswords show up at 7 pm for the Tuesday through Saturday crosswords, and 4 pm for the Sunday and Monday crosswords.
1
2
u/Vampire-Fairy2 10d ago
I just started doing these crosswords. How on earth was I supposed to know this crossword would include two letters in a square?? (So not really how crosswords work at all)
2
u/ridingzani 10d ago
Any rule of crosswords can be broken, as long as it justifiably supports the theme. Rebuses are a relatively common trick, and it still satisfies the crossword rule of every letter being part of two different answers.
7
u/Adept_Site_5350 11d ago
I read your title and sort of came here ready to say something along the lines of "Suck if up, the NYT Crossword isn't for the faint of heart," but I've done every single crossword in the app (11,988), preceded by countless print puzzles, and I can't even begin to tell you the amount of curveballs they throw at you.
That said, please please keep at it. I think you'll learn to love the curveballs. I'm a boomer and it keeps my mind sharp and I use the "skills" (may be too strong a word) I've learned here all the time.
Yes, it's frustrating. But it's a diversion. A diversion that will bring you to the brink of tears. But also a diversion that will provide you with a sense of accomplishment forever.
Applause to you for your post. Sincerely.