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 50,658 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLIEMCCARTHY | Wed Aug 11, 2010 | Wisecracking dummy of old radio | Edward Sessa |
| COLLEGESCHOLARS | Thu Jun 5, 1997 | Graduation day V.I.P.'s | David J. Kahn |
| COLORBYNUMBER | Thu Mar 13, 2014 | Kid's art activity ... or something seen four times in this puzzle's solution? | Alex Vratsanos |
| COLOSSUS | Fri Mar 5, 2021 | The Statue of Liberty, for one | Sridhar Bhagavathula |
| DATINGUP | Fri Mar 6, 2026 | Seeing someone wealthier, say | Adrian Johnson |
| DOWNLOAD | Thu Jul 26, 2012 | Many a modern purchase | Joel Fagliano |
| EPICWINS | Sat Jul 22, 2017 | Awesome successes | Zhouqin Burnikel |
| EVENEDOUT | Wed Oct 27, 2021 | Made level | Johanna Fenimore |
| FATLOT | Fri Apr 10, 2009 | Not much, with "a" | Manny Nosowsky |
| FIGHTINGILLINI | Mon Oct 1, 2018 | College team from the land of Lincoln | Chuck Deodene |
| HALLOWEEKEND | Sun Dec 18, 2022 | Portmanteau for an extended autumn celebration | Ryan McCarty |
| IMESSAGE | Tue Aug 15, 2023 | It shows up as a blue speech bubble | Malaika Handa |
| IRREGARDLESS | Thu Aug 6, 2009 | *No matter | Dan Naddor |
| ITRIDE | Sun Nov 9, 1997 | See 95-Across | Rich Norris |
| JUKEHOUSE | Sat Jun 25, 2016 | Rowdy joint | Kameron Austin Collins |
| MISRULES | Sun Nov 15, 1998 | Abuses the throne | Robert H. Wolfe |
| NASCENCY | Sat Aug 3, 1996 | Early development | A. D. Cover |
| NEWSTEAM | Thu Jun 18, 2020 | Group working with an anchor | Ricky Cruz |
| OILSEAL | Fri Jul 29, 2011 | Engine leakage preventer | Paula Gamache |
| OOHING | Thu Apr 25, 2024 | Expressing wonder | Hanh Huynh |
| OSCARDELAHOYA | Tue Sep 15, 1998 | 1990's boxing champion | Gilbert H. Ludwig |
| PLAINNESS | Sun Nov 6, 1994 | Unadorned | A.J. Santora |
| RINSEDOUT | Fri Dec 19, 2014 | No longer sudsy, say | Brad Wilber and Doug Peterson |
| SAUCEDISH | Thu Feb 13, 2020 | Vessel for dipping at a dinner table | Amanda Chung and Karl Ni |
| SEMISONIC | Sun May 4, 2025 | Band with the 1998 hit "Closing Time" | Brandon Koppy |
| SEXORGANS | Tue Feb 4, 2020 | Subjects of health class diagrams | Queena Mewers and Alex Eaton-Salners |
| SHEETED | Fri Feb 25, 2011 | Short-___ | Henry Hook |
| SHOVERS | Wed Aug 28, 2024 | They pu_ _ _ _ _ _ _tuff | Jesse Goldberg |
| SINOJAPANESEWAR | Sat Apr 22, 2017 | Historic conflict in and around the Yellow Sea | Adam Fromm |
| SITDOWNRESTAURANTS | Sun Jun 19, 2011 | "The chair doesn't recognize you, steakhouse and chophouse!" | Patrick Berry |
| SOUTHBENDIN | Tue Jun 19, 2007 | Home of Notre Dame | John Underwood |
| STRESSMARKS | Fri Dec 10, 2010 | Accents | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| STRUMMED | Sun Feb 16, 2014 | Pulled strings, maybe? | Yaakov Bendavid |
| TAKESABET | Sat Feb 14, 2026 | Puts one's money on the line | David Karp |
| TERRAFIRMA | Wed Oct 24, 2007 | *Solid ground | Patrick Blindauer |
| THEES | Sun Aug 14, 1994 | Words between Friends | Deborah Kathryn Trombley |
| TRADECOMMISSIONS | Sun Sep 14, 2008 | Experts at exports | Jeremy Newton |
| TWOLOVERS | Wed Jun 25, 2025 | 2008 romantic drama starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow | Ben Zimmer and Zach Sherwin |
| WARDED | Sun Aug 2, 2009 | Fended (off) | Patrick Berry |
| WHATTHEDEUCE | Mon May 29, 2023 | Quaint cry of surprise | Katie Hale and Zachary David Levy |