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 51,174 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABSCISSAS | Sat Oct 9, 2004 | Distances from the y-axis on a graph | Byron Walden |
| AGORAPHOBE | Fri Mar 17, 2023 | One fearful of crowded places | Carter Cobb |
| AIRSOFT | Sat Feb 25, 2017 | Sport similar to paintball | Mark Diehl |
| BARBAROSSA | Fri Jul 4, 1997 | Nickname of Emperor Frederick I | Manny Nosowsky |
| BRITNEYSPEARS | Wed Sep 7, 2005 | Pop artist whose name is an anagram of 20-Across | Andrea C. Michaels |
| CHICKENTERIYAKI | Thu Jun 28, 2018 | "Fowl"-tasting Japanese dish | Jeff Chen |
| COILER | Sun Nov 20, 2011 | Rattlesnake, at times | Trip Payne |
| DANGEROUSCURVES | Fri Jan 13, 2012 | What twisty arrows warn drivers of | Todd Gross and Doug Peterson |
| DEEPSLEEP | Sat May 16, 2026 | State in which Gulliver is discovered by the Lilliputians | Byron Walden |
| DEGRADES | Thu Nov 17, 1994 | Corrupts | Rich Norris |
| DISAGREES | Thu Nov 16, 2023 | Is a no-body? | Paolo Pasco |
| DOGSLEDS | Wed Mar 3, 1999 | Iditarod runners | Rich Norris |
| ENGLISHHORNS | Sun Nov 2, 2003 | Haydn used two in "The Philosopher" Symphony | Elizabeth C. Gorski |
| ENTRAINED | Fri Nov 1, 2002 | Got limited access? | Joe DiPietro |
| EXPERIMENTAL | Fri Sep 25, 2020 | Avant-garde | Rachel Fabi |
| FENLAND | Sun Jan 11, 2015 | Marshy region | Peter A. Collins |
| FINGERPAINT | Mon Aug 10, 2009 | Messy art medium for kids | Paula Gamache |
| GLOSSIES | Fri Aug 19, 2011 | Fashion magazines, e.g. | Patrick Berry |
| HARRIMAN | Sat Jan 1, 2005 | U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union during W.W. II | Raymond C. Young |
| HOOKEMHORNS | Thu Mar 7, 2019 | Cheer at a Texas football game | Brian Thomas |
| ITSPECIALIST | Sun Oct 13, 2019 | ... "I wish I knew how to quit you" | Erik Agard |
| JAMMIES | Fri Aug 3, 2007 | Undercover wear? | Charles Barasch |
| LOOKSEES | Fri Feb 5, 2010 | Quick surveys | Joe Krozel |
| ONASIDENOTE | Fri Jun 17, 2022 | "Incidentally ..." | Pao Roy |
| PHILISTINES | Fri Nov 6, 2020 | Uncultured sorts | Aimee Lucido |
| PILEUS | Sun May 11, 2003 | Mushroom cap | Patrick Berry |
| PRETZELBUN | Mon Jul 14, 2025 | Gourmet bread for a hamburger | Christina Iverson |
| PRIMECUTS | Tue Oct 5, 2004 | The starts of 18-, 23-, 39- and 52-Across | James R. Leeds |
| QUARLES | Sat Sep 24, 2005 | Francis ___, 17th-century English poet who wrote "A Feast for Worms" | Byron Walden |
| QUEENS | Wed Nov 30, 2022 | Home of the New York Mets | Addison Snell |
| RIDINGHABIT | Mon Mar 29, 2021 | Equestrian outfit | Lynn Lempel |
| RODINS | Sun Mar 12, 2006 | "The Thinker" and "The Kiss," e.g. | Daniel C. Bryant |
| SALTMINES | Sat Jan 6, 1996 | Place of drudgery | A.J. Santora |
| SERVEOUT | Sun Oct 5, 2008 | Complete, as a Senate term | Byron Walden |
| STAMPPAD | Sat Jun 13, 2026 | Obsolescent office accessory | Ryan McCarty |
| STONESOUP | Sun Aug 15, 2021 | Classic folk story that teaches a lesson of sharing | Aimee Lucido and Ella Dershowitz |
| THECHECKISINTHEMAIL | Sun Oct 2, 2016 | Classic lie | Zhouqin Burnikel |
| THENORWEGIANSEA | Sun Dec 9, 2018 | It borders Iceland's eastern coast | Ross Trudeau |
| TUFU | Sun Oct 23, 1994 | Eighth-century Chinese poet | Cathy Millhauser |
| ZANDT | Fri Nov 23, 2012 | Musician/radio host Steven Van ___ | Patrick Berry |