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 51,133 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BACKFIRE | Thu Sep 20, 2012 | Produce an undesired effect | John R. Conrad |
| BATTINGORDER | Sun Jul 24, 2011 | Wool or cotton purchase request? | Kurt Mueller |
| CAMERAWORK | Mon Nov 16, 2020 | Job for a cinematographer | Jennifer Nutt |
| CHECKEREDCAREER | Fri Apr 5, 1996 | Cab driving, e.g.? | J. Page |
| CHERRYPICK | Mon Jan 4, 2010 | Select the best and leave the rest | Paula Gamache |
| CRIMESCENES | Fri Oct 12, 2007 | Where many prints may be found | Mike Nothnagel |
| CUCKOOLARK | Wed Nov 17, 2004 | Crazy antic? | Richard Silvestri |
| DIANTHUS | Fri Sep 16, 2005 | Plant of the pink family | Craig Kasper |
| DIVERDOWN | Sat Aug 14, 1999 | Warning at sea | Joe DiPietro |
| ERGONOMICS | Fri Aug 16, 2013 | Means of reducing worker fatigue | Dana Motley |
| EVENERS | Sun Feb 26, 2006 | Planes | Randolph Ross |
| EXEQUY | Sun Feb 16, 2020 | Funeral ceremony | Sam Ezersky |
| EXUBERANCE | Thu Apr 21, 2005 | Giddiness | Patrick Merrell |
| FRELENG | Sat Jul 10, 2010 | Looney Tunes animator Friz | Joe DiPietro |
| GAYNINETIES | Tue Jul 25, 1995 | Century-old time | Gregory E. Paul |
| GENEBARRY | Fri Sep 8, 1995 | TV's Bat Masterson | A.J. Santora |
| GLYPHS | Sun Sep 9, 2012 | Some ancient carvings | Kevin G. Der |
| GOLDRUSH | Fri Jan 1, 2021 | Backdrop for the Compromise of 1850 | Milo Beckman |
| HADNOCHILL | Sat May 3, 2025 | Was way too keyed up, in modern slang | Michael Lieberman |
| HAROLDANDKUMAR | Wed Feb 1, 2017 | Friends who go to White Castle in a 2004 film | Matthew Sewell and Jeff Chen |
| HAZMATSUITS | Sun Feb 2, 2025 | Protective outfits for handling radioactive material | Derrick Niederman |
| HEAVENSGATE | Tue Aug 4, 2020 | Notorious cinematic flop of 1980 | Jacob Stulberg |
| HOLERS | Thu Oct 3, 2002 | Nine-___ (some golf courses) | Susan Harrington Smith |
| IONCEHADAGIRL | Tue Dec 1, 2015 | Start of the opening line of 55-Across | Dan Schoenholz |
| NODESIRE | Sun Apr 6, 2008 | Zero interest | Daniel C. Bryant |
| NOODLECASSEROLE | Tue Jan 18, 2000 | Potluck dinner dish | Nancy Salomon |
| OFFDAYS | Thu Apr 1, 1999 | Times when you're not at your peak | Kelly Clark |
| PARTANDPARCEL | Thu Jan 4, 2024 | ACTING ROLE | Chase Dittrich and Christina Iverson |
| PASOAN | Thu Jun 17, 2010 | El ___ (certain Texan) | Corey Rubin |
| PENSION | Mon Aug 9, 2004 | Money for retirement | M. Francis Vuolo |
| POURMONEYDOWNTHEDRAIN | Sun May 28, 2017 | Step 4: Be a financial wastrel | Andrew Zhou |
| PRETTILY | Sun Mar 30, 1997 | With grace | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| PRICEREDUCTIONS | Fri Oct 4, 1996 | Sales | M. Ashwood-Smith |
| RUNSPOINT | Sat Feb 24, 2024 | Takes the lead in a team project | Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa |
| SHIMMERED | Sat Oct 29, 1994 | Luminesced | Frank A. Longo |
| SOLAN | Sat Sep 3, 1994 | Web-footed bird | Raymond Hamel |
| SPECIMENS | Fri Dec 17, 2010 | Lab stock | Patrick Berry |
| STAIRWAYS | Mon Nov 8, 2004 | Railing sites | Damon J. Gulczynski |
| STARBUCKSCOFFEE | Tue Aug 8, 2023 | Likely contents of a cup with a green siren logo | Zachary David Levy |
| ZOEKAZAN | Sat Oct 13, 2018 | Lead actress in 2017's "The Big Sick" | Kevin G. Der |