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 50,626 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFTERDINNERMINTS | Sun Aug 12, 2001 | Meal enders | Nancy Nicholson Joline |
| ASICE | Sat Aug 16, 1997 | "Cold ___" (Foreigner hit) | Matt Gaffney |
| BACKINTHESADDLE | Fri Jan 22, 2016 | Functioning again | Paula Gamache |
| CHRYSALIS | Thu Apr 18, 2019 | Where a 17-Down becomes a 23-Across | Alex Eaton-Salners |
| CLIPPING | Thu Apr 6, 2023 | Part of a collage, perhaps | Sam Buttrey |
| COZYUPTO | Thu Sep 30, 2021 | Ingratiate oneself with | Rich Proulx |
| CUREL | Sun Jan 6, 2019 | Moisturizer brand | Zhouqin Burnikel |
| GOLDENMEAN | Thu Aug 7, 2008 | Aesthetically pleasing ratio of antiquity | Peter A. Collins and Joe Krozel |
| GOPER | Sat Mar 24, 2018 | Mr. or Mrs. Right? | Byron Walden |
| GRAYHAIRS | Sun Aug 29, 2010 | Supposed results of stress | Derek Bowman |
| HORSDOEUVRES | Wed Sep 12, 2018 | *Literally, "outside the works" | Jeffrey Wechsler |
| HOSTILEREACTION | Sat Apr 19, 2014 | Boos, e.g. | Stu Ockman |
| ICECOLDBEERHERE | Fri Sep 15, 2023 | Draft announcement? | David A. Rubin and Lee Demertzis |
| INAPICKLE | Sat Sep 3, 2005 | Trapped | Bob Peoples |
| ITSNOTHING | Tue Nov 12, 2024 | "Not a big deal" | Avery Gee Katz and Aaron Gee |
| JUKEBOXMUSICALS | Sat Apr 25, 2020 | "Mamma Mia!" and "Jersey Boys," for two | Andrew J. Ries |
| KEENEYE | Sun Apr 3, 2022 | Talent for discernment | Byron Walden |
| LISSOM | Sun Jul 25, 2010 | Willowy: Var. | Alan Arbesfeld |
| MANEATINGSHARK | Thu Apr 11, 2024 | "Jaws" menace | Dan Caprera |
| MASTERSWITCH | Sat Oct 11, 2025 | Source of great power? | Sam Ezersky |
| MILTOWN | Sun Oct 25, 1998 | S. J. Perelman's "The Road to ___" | Nancy Nicholson Joline |
| PAGANGOD | Sat Nov 23, 2024 | Zeus, Odin or the Dagda | Ryan McCarty |
| PARTYANIMALS | Wed May 11, 2022 | They're always ready for a good time ... or a description of 18-, 25-, 35- and 49-Across? | Michael Paleos |
| PEERAGES | Sun Oct 29, 2006 | Aristocracies | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| PUTOUTTOPASTURE | Tue Aug 13, 1996 | Fired, as a ranch hand? | R. Hughes |
| REMAINCALM | Fri Jan 30, 2026 | "Don't panic!" | Robyn Weintraub |
| RERI | Fri Aug 29, 2014 | Soprano Grist | Daniel Raymon |
| ROPETRICK | Mon Oct 21, 2024 | Cowboy's feat with a lasso | Neil Padrick Wilson |
| SKIBOARD | Wed Jan 29, 2025 | One of a wide pair for snow sports | Sophia Maymudes |
| SMELLIEST | Thu Dec 17, 2020 | Most foul | Kathryn Ladner |
| SPANISHTUTORIAL | Thu Sep 10, 2020 | Exercise before a trip to Latin America, say [Sixth] | David J. Kahn |
| SUNNING | Sun Dec 19, 2021 | Solarium activity | Laura Taylor Kinnel |
| SURFBUM | Wed Aug 7, 2019 | Regular at Waikiki, e.g. | Jeff Chen |
| TATTEDUP | Fri Feb 23, 2024 | Covered in ink | Larry Snyder |
| TOOKATOLLON | Tue Mar 12, 2019 | Affected adversely, physically or psychologically | Jules Markey |
| TRADESUP | Fri Sep 20, 2002 | Changes for the better | Kevin Hagen |
| TRUSTINWHATISAY | Mon Aug 28, 2006 | "It's true!" (#2) | Stanley Newman |
| VANILLALATTE | Mon Sep 16, 2024 | Sweet Starbucks order | Robert Corridan |
| WAITONESEC | Sat Dec 29, 2012 | "I'll be right with you" | Joe Krozel |
| ZIGGED | Wed May 14, 2014 | Did part of a slalom path | Victor Barocas |