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 50,811 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABEAUTIFULMIND | Tue Feb 26, 2002 | 2001 50-Across nominee | Peter Gordon |
| ALTERNATION | Thu May 28, 2015 | Duke's ride + slowly = this puzzle's theme | Jeff Chen |
| BOLTOFFABRIC | Mon Nov 29, 2021 | Fashion designer's purchase | Enrique Henestroza Anguiano |
| BUNKED | Sat Feb 25, 2006 | Shared sleeping accommodations | Henry Hook |
| BYONE | Mon Nov 24, 2003 | When an office worker may have to be back from lunch | Nancy Kavanaugh |
| CORSAGES | Sun Dec 21, 2003 | Some wedding embellishments | Frances Hansen |
| DAYSAILS | Sat Jul 29, 2017 | Eschews overnight shipping? | Erik Agard |
| DOBEDOBEDO | Wed Feb 5, 2020 | Nonsense line sung by Frank Sinatra in "Strangers in the Night" | Ross Trudeau |
| FALSELASHES | Wed Sep 15, 2021 | Batter's additions? | Sophie Buchmueller and Ross Trudeau |
| FORENSICANALYST | Sun Aug 27, 2017 | Detective in a lab | Jeff Chen |
| GASPER | Fri Oct 17, 2008 | Coffin nail | Patrick Berry |
| HANDHOLD | Wed Jun 19, 2024 | Give + take | Brad Wiegmann |
| HOKEYNESS | Sat Feb 5, 2011 | Corn-filled state | Mark Diehl |
| ICANTWATCH | Fri Dec 2, 2022 | Comment made with eyes closed, perhaps | Scott Earl |
| JIMMYKIMMELLIVE | Tue Aug 2, 2022 | Late-night show starting in 2003 | Jay Kaskel and Daniel Kantor |
| KRYSTEN | Sun Jan 7, 2024 | Actress Ritter of "Jessica Jones" | Michael Schlossberg |
| LIQUIDATED | Wed Jul 3, 2019 | Sold off, as assets | Evan Mahnken |
| METRONORTH | Sat Jan 19, 2008 | New York City transportation option | David J. Kahn |
| MISLEARN | Sun May 2, 1999 | Get it wrong | Jim Page |
| MISTAKES | Mon Feb 14, 2011 | Errata | Victor Fleming and Lynn Lempel |
| MISTERSPOCK | Mon Oct 17, 2022 | Second-in-command on the U.S.S. Enterprise | Caryn L. Robbins |
| MOTHERSHIP | Wed Feb 1, 2023 | Science fiction vessel | Dan Caprera |
| MOTIONSTOSTRIKE | Thu Sep 13, 2007 | Lawyers' requests at trials | Joe Krozel & Victor Fleming |
| NOTALL | Thu Oct 23, 2025 | Some | Aimee Lucido |
| NOTATANYPRICE | Fri Mar 7, 2008 | Only if it's worth the trade-off | Paula Gamache |
| OFFTHECLOCK | Thu Jun 7, 2012 | Not paid for, as factory work | Joe Krozel |
| OKAYWHAT | Sat Aug 31, 2024 | "Uh ... did I hear that right?!" | Sam Ezersky |
| OLEINE | Thu Mar 30, 1995 | Liquid fat | Rich Norris |
| PADDIES | Sat Jun 16, 2001 | Crop-raising sites | Dana Motley |
| PRECOLOR | Sat Aug 18, 2007 | Give shades to in advance | Jim Page |
| RETROCOOL | Fri Jul 5, 2019 | Back in again | Freddie Cheng |
| ROYALTY | Tue Nov 7, 2006 | Blue state | Bruce P. Douglas |
| SHADESOF | Sat Aug 9, 2008 | Like | Mark Diehl |
| SHIPBOUND | Wed Jul 24, 2002 | Stuck on board | Eric Berlin |
| SHURI | Wed May 5, 2021 | "Black Panther" princess/superhero | Bryce Hwang, Rahul Sridhar and Akshay Ravikumar |
| SOLIDEST | Sun Apr 4, 2021 | Most reliable | Angela Olson Halsted and Doug Peterson |
| TALLADEGA | Sun Sep 11, 2011 | Alabama speedway locale | Kay Anderson |
| THENORMSHOW | Sat Jan 17, 2004 | 1999 sitcom about a hockey player-turned-social worker | Patrick Berry |
| THEORIENTEXPRESS | Thu Nov 19, 1998 | Murder mystery setting, to a cowboy? | Brendan Emmett Quigley |
| TOYPOODLE | Sat Mar 28, 2026 | It's smaller than its miniature relative | Katie Hoody |