This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

New York Times, Friday, January 2, 2026

Author:
Adam Wagner and Rafael Musa
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
Eggless bread spread
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
304/20/20211/2/20269
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
91521210
RebusCircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
3111.6221532.861%
Adam Wagner
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
2310/21/20221/2/202616
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
60000125
CircleScrabDebutFlowFresh
21.5716646.477%
Rafael Musa

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 68, Blocks: 36 Missing: {JQZ} This is puzzle # 30 for Mr. Wagner. This is puzzle # 23 for Mr. Musa. Grid flow: 59.6 Friday freshness: 61%
1
A
2
R
3
F
4
W
5
H
6
A
7
T
8
I
9
S
10
A
11
R
12
T
13
D
E
I
14
G
15
N
16
H
A
B
A
N
E
R
O
S
17
A
P
B
I
O
18
I
C
A
N
T
L
O
O
K
19
M
O
O
N
W
20
A
L
K
21
D
E
F
A
T
S
22
S
S
N
23
W
W
E
24
B
O
R
E
R
25
A
26
F
E
W
27
B
O
O
N
S
28
R
29
E
C
U
R
30
T
A
X
R
E
T
31
U
32
R
33
N
34
E
M
C
E
E
35
O
S
U
36
T
E
P
E
E
37
G
U
I
L
T
38
T
R
I
P
39
F
E
A
S
T
40
T
A
H
O
E
41
D
A
M
N
42
P
A
L
E
S
43
P
A
M
44
D
45
A
46
X
47
C
48
L
U
N
K
Y
49
M
O
N
O
50
G
A
M
Y
51
A
I
R
K
I
S
52
S
E
S
53
U
N
T
I
L
54
V
E
G
E
N
A
I
S
E
55
S
C
E
N
E
56
E
N
E
R
G
Y
B
A
R
57
M
O
M
© 2026, The New York Times1/2/26 ( No. 27,814 )
Across
1
Havanese greeting : ARF
4
Tolstoy book whose title asks a question : WHATISART
13
Reluctantly stoop : DEIGN
16
They rate up to 350,000 on the Scoville scale : HABANEROS
17
H.S. class for tough life lessons? : APBIO
18
"Just tell me when it's over" : ICANTLOOK
19
Dance move also known as a backslide : MOONWALK
21
Skims, as soup stock : DEFATS
22
Fig. that cannot start with 9 : SSN
23
Org. for The Rock and Brock Lesnar : WWE
24
Tunnel-making machine : BORER
25
Not many : AFEW
27
Windfalls : BOONS
28
Keep coming up : RECUR
30
One might lead to pay back : TAXRETURN
34
Make some introductions, say : EMCEE
35
The Cowboys of the N.C.A.A. : OSU
36
Word from the Lakota for "they dwell" : TEPEE
37
Emotional manipulation tactic : GUILTTRIP
39
Meaty meal : FEAST
40
Attraction on the western side of Carson Range : TAHOE
41
"Oof!" : DAMN
42
Seems less impressive, so to speak : PALES
43
Spray in the kitchen : PAM
44
German stock market index : DAX
47
Cumbrous : CLUNKY
49
One-to-one relationship : MONOGAMY
51
Exchanges blows? : AIRKISSES
53
Up to : UNTIL
54
Eggless bread spread : VEGENAISE
55
"A-a-a-and ___!" (improv show ender) : SCENE
56
High-carb snack : ENERGYBAR
57
May day celebrant : MOM
Down
1
President who wrote "Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it" : ADAMS
2
Default outcomes, perhaps : REPOS
3
Kind of sequence that that proceeds 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ... : FIBONACCI
4
Duration : WHILE
5
Modern security threat : HACK
6
Org. with the Rule of Law Initiative : ABA
7
Cylindrical oven : TANDOOR
8
Extremely well-liked? : INTERNETFAMOUS
9
Personal opinion? : SELFESTEEM
10
Hooting and hollering : AROAR
11
Part of an underground network : ROOT
12
Pithy put-downs : TSKS
14
Main ingredient in an aviation cocktail : GIN
15
"I like the sound of that!" : NOWWERETALKING
20
"So adorable!" : AWW
24
Prepare to ship, say : BOXUP
26
Delivery means to a gas station : FUELTANKER
27
Count in the Blues Hall of Fame : BASIE
28
On the ___ (frequently, informally) : REG
29
Bird whose eggs are sometimes a canvas for Aboriginal art : EMU
30
Capotes are flapped at them : TOROS
31
"Let's go, sleepyhead!" : UPANDATEM
32
Booking, for short : RES
33
Server's obstacle : NET
38
"Word on the street is ..." : THEYSAY
41
___ Brown, author of "The Da Vinci Code" : DAN
42
Night of lawlessness in a long-running horror franchise, with "the" : PURGE
43
Try-hard : POSER
45
Kind of acid : AMINO
46
Stem component : XYLEM
47
Capitulate : CAVE
48
Lender's security : LIEN
49
Table outside : MESA
50
Big purveyor of health supplements : GNC
52
Gender-neutral term in a family : SIB

Answer summary:
6 unique to this puzzle.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2026, Jim Horne
68 ms