This page is just for fun. It's a random collection of rare crossword answers; so rare that each appears only in a single Modern Era puzzle. Bogus entries (thematic words that make sense only in that crossword) are excluded.
There are 50,482 unique Modern Era answer words in the database.
Click any word to see it in the context of its puzzle. Words in this color did appear in pre-Shortz crosswords.
| Word | Date | Clue | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALTOFLUTE | Fri Sep 11, 1998 | Piccolo relative | Harvey Estes |
| APTITUDETESTS | Sun Jan 29, 1995 | Exams for would-be workers | Bryant White |
| ARCCOS | Thu Sep 5, 2024 | Inverse trig function | Joe Deeney |
| BARRS | Sun Jan 14, 1996 | Tom Arnold's in-laws, once | C. Millhauser |
| BLUNDERERS | Sun May 7, 2023 | Ones making mistakes | Will Nediger |
| CANTSEE | Fri Jan 30, 2004 | Is blind | Manny Nosowsky |
| CHAINSMOKED | Thu Apr 3, 2014 | Went from butt to butt? | David Benkof and Jeff Chen |
| CISSY | Sat Jul 1, 2006 | Two-time Grammy winner Houston | Jim Page |
| CONFETTI | Fri Aug 12, 2011 | It may come down after a win | Julian Lim |
| COUNTRYHAM | Thu May 25, 2000 | It may be smoked | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| CUTON | Wed Feb 17, 2010 | "___ the dotted line" | Elizabeth A. Long |
| DIFFUSE | Mon Dec 11, 2017 | Not concentrated, as light | Brian Thomas |
| DOLOROUS | Sat Dec 23, 2023 | Like a dirge | Will Nediger |
| ECOTECH | Sat Feb 11, 2023 | Sustainable engineering field, informally | Sam Ezersky |
| FINESSESHOT | Sat Jun 4, 2016 | Half-volley in tennis, e.g. | Byron Walden and Brad Wilber |
| FLANKSTEAK | Fri Oct 16, 2009 | London broil, often | Karen M. Tracey |
| GEORGETENET | Mon Jul 27, 2015 | *C.I.A.'s second-longest-serving director | D. Scott Nichols and Zhouqin Burnikel |
| GOESEASYON | Fri Aug 11, 2017 | Doesn't throw the book at | Hal Moore |
| GRAINS | Sun Feb 11, 2024 | Food pyramid group | Peter Koetters |
| HABILE | Sat Jul 10, 1999 | Adroit | Rich Norris |
| HSU | Wed Aug 16, 2023 | Stephanie of "Everything Everywhere All at Once" | Mangesh Ghogre and Brendan Emmett Quigley |
| INDIANTEA | Sun Nov 29, 2009 | Darjeeling, e.g. | Will Nediger |
| IRONFIST | Mon Jan 7, 2013 | What a tyrant rules with | Jim Peredo |
| KAYAKED | Tue Jul 17, 2001 | Traveled like an Inuit | Fred Piscop |
| KIDDIE | Sun Jun 12, 2022 | ___ pool | Will Nediger |
| MAHNAMAHNA | Sat Aug 29, 2020 | Muppets song with nonsense lyrics | Michael Hawkins |
| NOORT | Sun Jun 17, 2001 | Flemish painter Adam van ___ (teacher of Rubens) | David J. Kahn |
| ORTHOPTICS | Fri Dec 2, 2011 | Field of vision? | Ed Sessa |
| PAMINA | Sun Dec 24, 1995 | "The Magic Flute" heroine | Frances Hansen |
| PANTSED | Sat Jan 11, 2025 | De-briefed? | Ryan McCarty |
| PAPERCARTON | Mon Nov 8, 1999 | Egg container | Kent Lorentzen |
| PAPERLACE | Sun May 18, 2014 | Band with the 1974 #1 hit "The Night Chicago Died" | Joe DiPietro |
| RESORTED | Sun Dec 3, 2000 | Finally turned (to) | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| RUMBLERS | Fri Jan 15, 1999 | Gang fighters | John Wolting |
| SENDITBACK | Fri Nov 1, 2024 | Line from an unhappy diner | Spencer Leach |
| STEAMEDOPEN | Sat Sep 3, 2022 | Like mussels or some letters | David Distenfeld |
| THEUNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA | Mon Oct 6, 2008 | 8-Across issuer | Patrick Blindauer |
| VINCEVAUGHN | Sun Feb 27, 2011 | "Wedding Crashers" co-star, 2005 | Peter A. Collins |
| VIPENTRANCE | Mon Jan 30, 2017 | Special access for celebs | Zhouqin Burnikel |
| YOUREBREAKINGUP | Tue Aug 19, 2008 | "Huh?" | Harriet Clifton |