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NYT Crossword — September 3, 2026

Thursday’s 15 × 16 puzzle, 80 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 80 revealed

1A

2P

3P

4S

5H

6E

7R

8P

9I

10T

11C

12H

13S

I

R

I

14Y

E

E

15E

N

S

U

E

16D

17S

E

I

N

18F

E

L

D

19E

N

A

B

L

E

20N

O

G

G

I

N

21S

22U

R

23R

B

I

S

24T

A

25P

E

R

E

26D

27Y

U

K

28S

29H

30E

31D

32C

L

A

S

S

R

33O

O

M

34C

A

M

E

35D

U

E

36A

S

A

P

37A

L

I

B

A

B

A

38F

U

39S

40S

41Y

42R

E

R

U

N

43P

44E

T

N

A

M

E

45N

C

46A

47A

48U

N

S

C

R

E

W

49P

50O

K

E

R

G

51A

M

E

52H

I

E

S

53M

A

C

54S

T

E

W

A

R

55T

56U

T

A

57H

58I

S

H

59G

L

60A

61M

62P

63S

64S

I

R

E

65N

S

66E

67P

I

C

F

A

I

L

68E

N

D

C

U

T

69L

I

Z

70A

N

T

E

71A

S

K

M

E

72L

T

E

73R

O

A

D

Across

38 clues

1Things that have icons

5She's possessive

13She can speak more than 20 languages

14Lead-in to haw

17Show with the classic episodes "The Puffy Shirt" and "The Little Kicks"

21On, in French

23Successes for sluggers, for short

24Like some pants or haircuts

28What dogs do the most in the spring and fall

34Reached a payment date

36"Please give this high priority!"

37Character with a famous opening line?

38Like an overtired toddler

42Twice-told tale?

43Sweetums or Baby Doll

45March Madness org.

48Open, as a bottle

49One might feature rivers and bluffs

53Apple purchase

56Its motto is "Industry"

59Luxuriates outdoors, in a way

64Emergency alerts

66Complete fiasco, slangily

69Emmy-winning role for Tina Fey

71Words that might be seen on a docent's badge

72Letters found near some bars

73It might be paved with good intentions

Down

42 clues

1The "A" in L.P.G.A.: Abbr.

2Slangy "mouth" found in a 20-Across

3Self-righteous type

5Spotted youngster that might be spotted on the savanna

6Fish with fused fins

7One end of the Suez Canal

8Many a "Bridgerton" lady

9Alternative to a bed-and-breakfast

11Place for storing belongings in a 32-Across

12Cause of a squeaky voice, maybe

16Place to study

18Factor in a clothing purchase

25Something a suspect enters

30Islamic "commander"

31Show to be bogus

33Tool found in a 32-Across

35What choreologists study

39Garment that is typically around six yards long

40Captain Hook's right-hand man

41Evergreen trees with red arils

43Cat that can purr but can't roar

46Skilled performer

472, 4, 6 and 8, e.g.

49Surface of a well-used wok

50Pocket rockets, e.g., found in a 49-Across

51"Well, shucks!"

53Polyhymnia or Clio

55Group with the 1994 12x platinum album "CrazySexyCool"

61Underground entrance found in a 73-Across

62Bread that may have a pocket

63Skeleton, say

65___ Lock (PC key)

67Orchestra setting

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Thursday, Sep 3, 2026

15×16

Grid size

80

Total entries

44/196

Black / letter cells

4.9

Avg entry length

9 ltrs

Longest entry

Tricky

Thursday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedSep 3, 2026

DayThursday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorZhou Zhang

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split38 across · 42 down

Longest entries

32ASchool unit9 ltrs 49AOne might feature rivers and bluffs9 ltrs 17AShow with the classic episodes "The Puffy Shirt" and "The Little Kicks"8 ltrs 66AComplete fiasco, slangily8 ltrs 5DSpotted youngster that might be spotted on the savanna8 ltrs

Thursday is the gimmick day: rebus squares, reversed entries and other tricks are fair game. This grid has 44 black squares and averages 4.9 letters per entry.