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 50,840 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTYFARTY | Sun May 2, 2021 | Aesthetically pretentious, informally | Dan Schoenholz |
| BOFFS | Fri Nov 20, 1998 | Variety hits | Manny Nosowsky |
| BRITISHCOLUMBIA | Thu Oct 5, 1995 | Victoria's home | Christopher Page |
| CHESSSETS | Fri Feb 23, 2001 | They have bishops | Joe DiPietro |
| EVILDEAD | Sat Jan 28, 2023 | Horror movie franchise known for both its action and slapstick humor | Kevin Christian |
| EXCESSIVETARIFFS | Sun Jul 18, 2010 | Too much guitar work by a professor's helper? | Robert W. Harris |
| FIVETOTEN | Fri Feb 16, 2007 | Possible sentence in the slammer | Charles Barasch |
| FUNSPONGE | Sat Jul 28, 2018 | One who sucks the joy out of the room | Natan Last, Andy Kravis and The J.A.S.A. Crossword Class |
| HARDATIT | Wed Dec 7, 2016 | Working diligently | David Steinberg |
| IMPRESARIO | Fri May 4, 2018 | One who gets the show on the road | Michael Hawkins |
| LEMOYNE | Thu Mar 12, 1998 | College in Syracuse, N.Y. | Fred Piscop |
| LOVEDART | Sun Aug 12, 2018 | Missile in a mating ritual | Ross Trudeau |
| MAKEACASE | Fri Jan 14, 2011 | Argue (for) | Martin Ashwood-Smith |
| MINOANS | Tue Aug 23, 2022 | Ancient inhabitants of Crete | Trey Mendez |
| NOTHINGMUCH | Thu Oct 24, 2019 | ... A small amount | Matt Ginsberg |
| OUTLOUD | Sat Jan 4, 2003 | One way to think | Patrick Berry |
| PAINTINTOACORNER | Sun May 13, 2007 | *Put at bay | Jim Page |
| PEANUTOIL | Tue Oct 22, 2013 | What pad Thai is often cooked in | Kevan Choset |
| PEDALTOTHEMETAL | Fri Nov 7, 2025 | "Step on it!" | Kelly Morenus |
| POPMUSICIAN | Mon Feb 16, 2009 | Any of the Jonas Brothers, e.g. | David Kwong |
| READYWHENYOUARE | Tue Feb 5, 2019 | "I'm game -- just give me the signal" | Erik Agard |
| REINTER | Fri Mar 26, 2004 | Lay elsewhere | Nancy Kavanaugh |
| SARSENET | Sat Nov 12, 1994 | Soft silk fabric used for linings | Bryant White |
| SETTLESTHESCORE | Fri Oct 11, 2013 | Gets payback | Peter A. Collins |
| SHELLSTEAK | Sun Jun 28, 1998 | The munitions expert ordered ___ | Fred Piscop |
| SHUTYOURPIEHOLE | Fri Oct 15, 2021 | "Put a sock in it!" | Ashton Anderson |
| STEELBLUE | Sat Dec 8, 2018 | Color achieved during tempering | Trenton Charlson and David Steinberg |
| STONEWORK | Wed Sep 24, 2025 | Masonry | Peter A. Collins |
| STORMINATEACUP | Wed Jun 27, 2012 | Much ado about nothing | Mike Buckley |
| SUBMARINESANDWICH | Thu Nov 30, 2017 | Grinder | Trenton Charlson |
| SUBSISTENCE | Sun Mar 30, 2014 | Kind of farming | Peter A. Collins |
| THARDESERT | Tue Feb 15, 1994 | Arid region of India | Jonathan Schmatzbach |
| TOOKPAINS | Tue Sep 17, 2024 | Made significant efforts | Howard Neuthaler |
| TRACTORBEAM | Fri Dec 23, 2016 | One may hold a ship in place | Robyn Weintraub |
| TRESH | Sun Oct 3, 2004 | Tom ___, 1962 A.L. Rookie of the Year | Randolph Ross |
| UNITSDIGIT | Sat Aug 21, 1999 | It precedes the decimal point | Charles E. Gersch |
| UNIVERSALSTUDIOS | Sat Jul 3, 2010 | "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" producer | Joe Krozel |
| WATCHEDAVIDEO | Sun May 30, 2021 | Spent some time on YouTube, say | Adam Wagner |
| WHODATGIRL | Sat Feb 14, 2015 | 2011 Flo Rida hit with the lyric "She ain't no rock star, but she got groupies" | David Steinberg |
| YOUREOK | Fri Aug 28, 2015 | Reassuring words for a fallen tot | Samuel A. Donaldson |