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 50,012 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIROFFENSIVE | Thu Oct 29, 2009 | Series of sorties | Joe Krozel |
| AKIRAKUROSAWA | Fri Mar 5, 2021 | "Stray Dog" director, 1949 | Sridhar Bhagavathula |
| ANDYDUFRESNE | Sun Sep 22, 2024 | Lead role in 3-Down/6-Down | Jeremy Newton and Tracy Gray |
| APTIVA | Sun Dec 13, 2009 | I.B.M. computer of the 1990s | Mike Shenk |
| BATHERS | Sat Jan 18, 1997 | Subject of a Cezanne series | D. Niles |
| BAWLERS | Fri Oct 20, 2006 | Crybabies | Ed Early |
| BETTERYOUTHANME | Fri Aug 23, 2019 | "Glad I didn't have to deal with that!" | Evan Mahnken |
| BOSWELL | Thu Apr 21, 1994 | Dr. Johnson's biographer | Timothy S. Lewis |
| COVERED | Mon Oct 26, 2009 | Having insurance | Mike Nothnagel |
| DCLIV | Sun Jun 8, 1997 | Year St. Eugene became Pope | Richard Silvestri |
| DRYMARTINIS | Sat Jul 9, 2005 | Clear orders | Patrick Berry |
| DUDEUP | Fri May 25, 2012 | Get dressed for a party, say | Brendan Emmett Quigley |
| EMPTIES | Fri Jul 15, 2016 | Recycling bin fill | Matt Ginsberg |
| FRISKED | Sun Sep 5, 1999 | Checked for heat | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| FRONTPAGENEWS | Sun Jan 19, 2020 | Big story | Victor Barocas |
| GROWFERVENT | Fri Jun 16, 1995 | Enthuse | Thomas W. Schier |
| GUMLINES | Wed Feb 23, 2022 | Teeth disappear under them | Rose Conlon |
| ICOSI | Fri Jun 16, 1995 | Twenty: Prefix | Thomas W. Schier |
| INTHEBIGHOUSE | Wed Aug 5, 2015 | "I merely bought myself a McMansion, and now I'm ___!" | Patrick Berry |
| JESSICAFLETCHER | Thu Nov 1, 2012 | With 67- & 69-Across, role that garnered 12 consecutive unsuccessful Emmy nominations, 1985-96 | George Barany and Victor Barocas |
| NILEBASIN | Sun Jan 2, 2011 | About 10% of Africa | David Levinson Wilk |
| OUTEREDGES | Tue Jan 5, 2010 | *Rims | C. W. Stewart |
| PARADOXICALPAIR | Thu Mar 31, 2005 | 3- and 9-Down, e.g. | David Liben-Nowell |
| PASTELSHADE | Wed Aug 3, 2022 | Hue such as pale mint or lilac | Daniel Bodily |
| PITMAN | Fri Mar 25, 2011 | Coal miner | Mike Nothnagel |
| PLATELETCOUNT | Sat Jul 30, 2016 | Hematologist's measure | Lily Silverstein |
| PLAYGOERS | Fri May 31, 2002 | Theater audience | Patrick Berry |
| POLISHESOFF | Wed Mar 28, 2001 | Devours | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| POLISHJOKE | Tue Nov 27, 2007 | What a comedian might do before going onstage? | Julie Ann Bowling |
| RESTAFF | Sat Jan 2, 2010 | Fill positions differently | Robert H. Wolfe |
| SANANSELMO | Sat Aug 5, 1995 | City north of the Golden Gate Bridge | Frank A. Longo |
| SCABBARDS | Sun Sep 12, 2004 | Sword bearers | Patrick Berry |
| SHORTRUN | Thu Aug 11, 2005 | Near future | Michael Shteyman |
| SWITCHJOBS | Thu Mar 10, 2022 | Change careers, or a hint to this puzzle's theme | John Westwig |
| TABLOIDTV | Sat Feb 24, 2007 | Sensational news format | Byron Walden |
| TAKETHEFALL | Fri Aug 1, 2014 | Be a patsy | Ashton Anderson and James Mulhern |
| TIEFIGHTER | Fri May 11, 2012 | Craft in a "Star Wars" battle scene | Natan Last |
| VICS | Tue Sep 11, 2012 | Trader ___ | Kenneth Leeser |
| WENTTOIT | Sat Oct 13, 2018 | Got cracking | Kevin G. Der |
| WINEMAKER | Fri Mar 16, 2018 | Port authority? | Robyn Weintraub |