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 50,404 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIRI | Sun Jul 5, 2015 | "The ___ Breathe" (2007 drama with Kevin Bacon and Julie Delpy) | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| ALINEDRESS | Sat May 12, 2012 | 1955 Dior debut | Caleb Madison |
| ALOOSE | Sun Jun 19, 1994 | Words before cannon or wire | Nancy Scandrett Ross |
| BANACEK | Fri Dec 15, 1995 | Peppard TV role | Harvey Estes |
| BEONTO | Sun Aug 29, 2004 | Understand now, as someone's tricks | Manny Nosowsky |
| BINGEREAD | Sun Oct 29, 2023 | Stay up all night finishing a book, maybe (GABARDINE) | Alina Abidi |
| BREAKTHESOUNDBARRIER | Sun Jul 23, 2023 | Hit Mach I … or a hint to answering eight pairs of consecutive entries in this puzzle | Chandi Deitmer |
| CHAMBERLAIN | Thu Jan 3, 2008 | Churchill predecessor | Henry Hook |
| DADOES | Sun Sep 8, 1996 | Pedestal parts | R. H. Wolfe |
| FREESHIPPING | Fri Oct 23, 2020 | E-tail perk | Robyn Weintraub |
| GARYIN | Sun May 30, 2021 | City about 25 miles SE of Chicago, IL | Adam Wagner |
| GRAVITYSRAINBOW | Sat Oct 22, 2016 | 1974 National Book Award winner by Thomas Pynchon | James Mulhern |
| GUESSWHOSBACK | Thu Nov 9, 2017 | "Uh-oh, here they are again" | Bruce Haight |
| HADANIDEA | Wed Apr 13, 2011 | Suspected | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| HALFNOTES | Sun May 23, 2021 | They have stems and white heads | Jennifer Nebergall |
| HIDINGS | Sun Aug 3, 1997 | Stashes | Peter Gordon |
| HIGHMAINTENANCE | Sat Nov 24, 2018 | Demanding | David Steinberg |
| ITSSHOWTIME | Wed May 7, 2014 | Possible title for this puzzle | Kurt Mueller |
| KEEPASHARPEYEON | Fri Jun 25, 2004 | Watch closely | Manny Nosowsky |
| MEDICINALPLANTS | Sun May 31, 2020 | Some natural remedies | Lewis Rothlein and Jeff Chen |
| MOTOROIL | Sat Dec 7, 2024 | What helps grease the wheels? | Luke K. Schreiber |
| ODDNUMBERED | Sun Jun 26, 1994 | Like every other book page | Nancy Nicholson Joline |
| PHRASING | Sun Apr 21, 2019 | That of this clue is awkward | Grant Thackray |
| PICKLEDONION | Mon Jul 25, 2011 | Gibson garnish | Nina Rulon-Miller |
| RACERIOT | Sat Sep 18, 1999 | Occasion for tear gas, maybe | Joe DiPietro |
| REEFED | Sun Sep 8, 1996 | Lowered, as a mast | R. H. Wolfe |
| SECONDBEST | Sun Feb 23, 2020 | Runner-up | Sophia and David Maymudes |
| SELDES | Sat Jan 8, 1994 | Stage actress Marian | Rand H. Burns |
| SENIORBOWL | Sun Feb 24, 2013 | Postseason football game played in Mobile, Ala. | Joe DiPietro |
| SHARPCURVE | Wed Apr 30, 2014 | Hairpin, e.g. | Zhouqin Burnikel |
| SICKNESS | Wed May 21, 2025 | Something feigned by Ferris Bueller to get out of school | Ilana Levene and Scott Hogan |
| SMUGGLER | Sun Feb 9, 2020 | Customs target | Brian Kulman |
| STEADIED | Sun Oct 26, 2003 | Stabilized | Patrick Merrell |
| TEENJEOPARDY | Fri Aug 5, 2016 | Event where kids ask lots of questions, informally | Brendan Emmett Quigley |
| THETHREEBEARS | Tue Nov 15, 2005 | This puzzle's theme | Sarah Keller |
| TRACTILE | Thu Sep 8, 2011 | Able to be drawn out | Matt Ginsberg and Pete Muller |
| TSGTS | Sun May 2, 2010 | E-6 officers in the U.S.A.F. | Kelsey Blakley |
| UNRAVELED | Fri Jan 6, 2012 | Got to the bottom of | David Steinberg |
| WHITEYONTHEMOON | Fri Apr 28, 2023 | Gil Scott-Heron poem inspired by 1969 events | Malaika Handa and Erik Agard |
| ZAPPER | Fri Feb 9, 2018 | Debugging tool? | Brendan Emmett Quigley |