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 50,532 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADROP | Thu Jan 4, 1996 | ___in the bucket | F. & L. Sabin |
| AUTOBUS | Sun Jan 5, 2014 | Motor coach | Alan DerKazarian |
| AWAKED | Sun Dec 19, 2004 | Came out of sleep, old-style | Frances Hansen (1919-2004) |
| BLOTCHED | Sat Feb 4, 2023 | Spotted | Kate Hawkins |
| BUBBLER | Sat Nov 17, 2007 | Drinking fountain | Brad Wilber |
| CASUALFRIDAY | Mon Aug 16, 2010 | End-of-the-week office dress policy, maybe | Andrea Carla Michaels and Jennifer Nutt |
| CRUDDY | Sun Jan 1, 2012 | Badly made | Patrick Berry |
| DIVIDEDCAPITALS | Thu Nov 3, 2005 | Title for this puzzle | Byron Walden |
| DOUBLEFEATURE | Thu Jul 25, 2013 | Drive-in theater draw ... with a literal hint to 4- and 21-Down | Patrick Blindauer |
| EASYFIXES | Sat Jul 6, 2024 | Simple solutions | Evans Clinchy |
| ECGS | Sat Oct 8, 2005 | Some hosp. records | Byron Walden |
| EWBANK | Wed Sep 15, 2010 | Only coach to win both N.F.L. and A.F.L. championships | Zoe Wheeler, Brown University '12 |
| HELMSMEN | Tue Mar 2, 2010 | Steering committee? | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| HOTELRESTAURANT | Fri Aug 18, 2000 | Ensconced eatery | Patrick D. Berry |
| INCINERATE | Tue Aug 14, 2018 | Burn to a crisp | Andy Kravis and Erik Agard |
| LEMONICES | Fri Dec 11, 2020 | Cool summer treats | Ari Richter |
| LOONIEST | Sun Oct 1, 2000 | Most lamebrained | Nancy Nicholson Joline |
| LOUFERRIGNO | Mon Aug 27, 2012 | He played the Hulk on 1970s-'80s TV | Michael Farabaugh |
| ONESPADE | Fri Sep 1, 2006 | Bridge opening | David Quarfoot |
| OVERCOME | Fri Apr 19, 2019 | Triumph | Caleb Madison |
| PLAYFUL | Wed May 18, 2022 | Like a frisky puppy | Andy Kravis |
| PUMPFAKES | Thu Apr 30, 2020 | Deceptive basketball moves | Caitlin Reid |
| REALNUMBER | Sun Dec 11, 2016 | Concept that was called 36-Across before research into the square root of negatives | Tom McCoy |
| RINGALEVIO | Tue Jul 1, 2014 | Game similar to hide-and-seek | Gary Cee |
| ROTENONE | Sat May 6, 2006 | Compound used to treat chiggers and scabies | James E. Buell |
| RRSTA | Sun Dec 30, 2001 | B. & O. stop: Abbr. | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| SALUDS | Sun Sep 8, 1996 | Toast words | R. H. Wolfe |
| SEATTLEWASH | Mon Oct 20, 2003 | Microsoft workers' laundry? | Lynn Lempel |
| SECRETMENUITEMS | Fri Jul 2, 2021 | In-N-Out Burger's "Animal Style" burgers and fries, e.g. | Brooke Husic and Ada Nicolle |
| SEEKANDYESHALLFIND | Thu Jan 15, 2026 | *Oft-quoted advice in Matthew 7:7 | Wendy L. Brandes and Barbara Lin |
| STEEPGRADE | Thu Feb 14, 2019 | GET SPEARED | John E. Bennett and Jeff Chen |
| STONEPIT | Sun Sep 8, 2024 | Quarry | Meghan Morris |
| TALKEDABLUESTREAK | Sun Jun 2, 2013 | Chattered on and on and on | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| THERIAC | Sat Dec 26, 2009 | Onetime snake venom antidote | Kevin G. Der |
| TOMMYJOHN | Sat Dec 11, 1999 | Dodger pitcher, A.L. Comeback Player of the Year in 1976 | William S. Cotter |
| TREADING | Thu Apr 10, 1997 | Stepping | David J. Kahn |
| VHONE | Fri Jul 10, 1998 | MTV alternative | Brendan Emmett Quigley |
| VOUCHED | Fri Sep 6, 2002 | Supported, with "for" | Manny Nosowsky |
| WHATGOESUP | Thu Aug 21, 2025 | Start of a popular saying about gravity ... or a hint to completing the answers to the starred clues | Simeon Seigel |
| WIDERECEIVER | Mon Jun 9, 2014 | T e l e p h o n e h a n d s e t | Tom McCoy |