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 50,501 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALISO | Wed Sep 26, 2007 | ___ Viejo (California city near Laguna Beach) | Lee Glickstein and Craig Kasper |
| AMAPOLA | Wed Feb 28, 2001 | #1 hit for Jimmy Dorsey, 1941 | A. J. Santora |
| BWAHAHA | Fri Oct 26, 2018 | Maniacal laugh | Evan Kalish |
| DARI | Thu Feb 13, 2025 | One of two official languages of Afghanistan | Jem Burch |
| DISKSPACE | Thu Jul 31, 2014 | You might need a lot of it for your files | Jill Denny and Jeff Chen |
| FILLER | Mon Dec 16, 2024 | Lip-plumping injection | Ailee Yoshida |
| FOUROF | Sun Nov 6, 2005 | :56, timewise | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| GREYAREA | Fri Jun 29, 2001 | It's open to interpretation | Holden Baker |
| HANDER | Wed Oct 1, 2003 | Left-___ (southpaw) | A. J. Santora |
| HANKERING | Sun May 11, 2025 | Strong urge | Brendan Emmett Quigley |
| HOCKEYGAME | Thu Jul 28, 2005 | It will sometimes have icing | Eric Berlin |
| HOTSOAKS | Sat Jan 27, 2024 | Relaxing baths | Grace Warrington and Greg Warrington |
| IMPANELING | Thu Oct 24, 2024 | Selecting for a jury | Ella Dershowitz |
| JANEADDAMS | Wed Dec 28, 2022 | Social worker who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize | Josh Goodman |
| JONCRYER | Fri Mar 13, 1998 | "Hot Shots!" actor, 1991 | Shannon Burns |
| JONLOVITZ | Tue Oct 29, 2019 | *"Saturday Night Live" cast member of the late 1980s | Evan Mahnken |
| KEGELS | Sun Nov 8, 2020 | Pelvic exercises | Evan Kalish and Caitlin Reid |
| LOWIQS | Mon Jun 30, 2008 | Reasons for special ed | Lynn Lempel |
| MOMENTOUS | Sat Aug 3, 1996 | Key | A. D. Cover |
| OKAND | Sat Jan 3, 2026 | "Your point being ...?" | Hannah Slovut-Einertson |
| OVERTAXED | Sat Feb 3, 2001 | Unfairly burdened | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| PLANTED | Sun Feb 7, 2021 | Like some evidence and bulbs | Katie Hale and Christina Iverson |
| PREFIX | Wed Nov 25, 2009 | Pro- or con- | Allan E. Parrish |
| PULLEDAFASTONE | Sun Aug 20, 2023 | Tricked somebody | Michael Schlossberg |
| RAISETHEROOF | Fri Jun 24, 2005 | Party hearty | Eric Berlin |
| SAB | Sun Aug 5, 2001 | Rest time: Abbr. | Peter Gordon |
| SEVENTYTHOUSAND | Fri Oct 4, 1996 | Yuppie's salary, perhaps | M. Ashwood-Smith |
| SOLDIEROFFORTUNE | Thu Jan 30, 2025 | Mercenary | Joe Marquez |
| SQUEAMISH | Fri Jun 2, 2017 | Easily disgusted | John Guzzetta and Michael Hawkins |
| STUBBORNBEAST | Sun Oct 22, 2000 | Change a letter in 46-Across to spell... | Henry Hook |
| SYRACUSE | Tue Jun 22, 2004 | Big Orange of college sports | Allan E. Parrish |
| TAKENFORARIDE | Mon Mar 13, 2023 | Bamboozled | Sam Koperwas and Jeff Chen |
| TAKESLIBERTIES | Sun Jun 6, 1999 | Isn't cautious (with) | David J. Kahn |
| THETURNINGPOINT | Thu Mar 7, 1996 | Rotarian's favorite movie of 1977? | C. Millhauser |
| TOILANDTROUBLE | Mon Sep 4, 2000 | Witch's phrase, in "Macbeth" | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| TOPSOFMOUNTAINS | Mon Dec 9, 2002 | Peaks | Sarah Keller |
| TOPUTITMILDLY | Wed Jul 24, 2019 | Task for a Thai chef cooking for typical Americans? | Jake Halperin |
| UNENVIABLEPOSITION | Sun Mar 7, 2021 | POI_T OF _IEW | Celeste Watts and Jeff Chen |
| WASHINGTONZOO | Fri Mar 13, 2020 | Home for some famous 17-Acrosses, informally | Alex Eaton-Salners |
| WOODROT | Sat Jun 7, 2025 | Corruption below deck, perhaps | Blake Slonecker |