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 50,361 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACV | Fri Nov 25, 1994 | Hovercraft, for short | Daniel R. Stark |
| AGEGROUP | Wed Sep 7, 2011 | Demographic division | Jim Hilger |
| ALEXANDRE | Sat Jun 5, 2004 | French Beaux-Arts painter Cabanel | Byron Walden |
| ARGONGAS | Sun May 17, 2020 | Substance used to preserve the Declaration of Independence | Byron Walden |
| BETTEROFF | Sun Sep 26, 1999 | Having the upper hand | Randolph Ross |
| BLACKOLIVE | Sun Jul 28, 2024 | Supreme pizza topping | Paolo Pasco |
| BLOCKHEEL | Wed Jan 18, 2017 | Platform sandal feature | Matthew Sewell |
| BOARDOFED | Wed Mar 28, 2012 | Man's plank? | Joe DiPietro |
| BODYBAG | Fri Dec 21, 2018 | "CSI" prop | Peter A. Collins |
| CLIMATECHANGE | Wed Mar 30, 2016 | Environmentalist's concern ... or a hint to the circled letters | Andrew Reynolds |
| COALITION | Sat Oct 20, 2001 | Diplomats' success | Patrick Berry |
| DELUGING | Sun Sep 9, 2007 | Inundating | Patrick Berry |
| DENTALINSURANCE | Sat Aug 19, 2017 | It covers bridges, typically | Mark Diehl |
| DNASAMPLES | Wed Jan 17, 2018 | Some evidence collected for trials | Jules Markey |
| EATDESSERTFIRST | Sat Jan 8, 2022 | "Life is short. ___" (Jacques Torres quip) | Freddie Cheng |
| ENVELOPES | Tue Jun 7, 2005 | Stuffed mailers | Lee Glickstein and Nancy Salomon |
| GLUMMEST | Mon Dec 29, 2008 | Most morose | Kevin Donovan |
| GYMCLUB | Sun Sep 25, 2005 | Place to work out | Matt Skoczen |
| HEARTMURMUR | Thu Feb 25, 2021 | Stethoscope detection | Dylan Schiff |
| INTEGRATEDCIRCUIT | Sun Jan 19, 2025 | ∫ workout routine | Emily Sharp and Kunal Nabar |
| IVYCOVEREDWALLS | Tue Nov 15, 2016 | Unique feature of Wrigley Field | David J. Kahn |
| LASAGNAS | Sun Jul 6, 1997 | Pasta dishes | Robert H. Wolfe |
| LINCOLNNEBRASKA | Wed Feb 25, 2015 | Midwest capital #2 | Michael Shteyman |
| MAKEUPS | Sat Aug 8, 2009 | Second chances for students | Karen M. Tracey |
| MARKDOWN | Thu Apr 6, 1995 | Lower the price of | Lois Sidway |
| MILLINERY | Fri Dec 10, 1999 | Pillboxes and such | Gilbert H. Ludwig |
| MXC | Sat May 21, 2011 | Late 11th-century year | Barry C. Silk |
| NAPLESFLORIDA | Mon Jan 18, 2021 | City where you won't find Virgil's Tomb | Jeff Stillman |
| NONEOFTHEABOVE | Mon Sep 21, 1998 | D, often | Matthew Lees |
| RAYDAVIES | Tue Jun 18, 2013 | *Lead singer of the Kinks | Tim Croce |
| READEM | Tue Jun 30, 2020 | What to do "and weep," in an expression | Zachary David Levy |
| RELABELS | Sun Jun 12, 2022 | Marks down, maybe | Will Nediger |
| ROILING | Tue May 23, 2023 | Making turbulent | Lee Taylor |
| SITUPBENCH | Sun Sep 22, 2019 | Ab-targeting exercise equipment | Tracy Gray |
| TENDAY | Wed Mar 19, 2014 | Like some short-term N.B.A. contracts | Samuel A. Donaldson |
| THESEMIS | Thu May 11, 2006 | Caption for a tournament round of four | Joe DiPietro |
| TOTALWAR | Thu Mar 10, 2022 | All-out military conflict | John Westwig |
| TOWAGES | Sat Apr 11, 2009 | Tugboat fees | Karen M. Tracey |
| WINDMILLDUNK | Mon Nov 11, 2019 | *Showy basketball two-pointer | Evan Kalish |
| WOWING | Sun May 12, 2024 | Blowing away | Avery Gee Katz |