1. Fill in the blanks with three related words to complete the compound words below.

_ _ _ HORN

_ _ _ _ FALL 

_ _ _ _ BALL

 

2. Fill in the same three-letter word in the blanks to complete longer words.

 

S _ _ _

_ _ _ AL

MA _ _ _ RE

_ _ _ LE

 

Answers:

 

1. FOGHORN

    WATERFALL

     SNOWBALL

 

2. The missing word is CAB:

    SCAB

    CABAL

    MACABRE

    CABLE  

 

Credit:

Braingle 

Can you transform the words below into a famous quote? Wordplay is fair play.

Got up alias oak aroma set of rooms

Answer:

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

(Got up = arose, 

  alias = by any other name

  oak = wood 

  aroma = smell

  set of rooms = suite)   

 

Credit:
Braingle 

INSERT-A-WORD LX

Insert a word from the right-hand column into one of the words in the left-hand column to make a longer word.

1. BET                   AND

2. PIER                  DIME

3. STOUT              PIT

4. RUNT                RISK

5. FILE                  ONE

6. SOW                  LIAR

7. MARE               NAG 

8. FAMILY            HALL 

9. PALATE            CAB

 

Answers:

 

1. B RISK ET - BRISKET

2. PI ONE ER - PIONEER

3. ST AND OUT - STANDOUT

4. RU DIME NT - RUDIMENT

5. FI NAG LE - FINAGLE

6. S HALL OW - SHALLOW

7. MA CAB RE - MACABRE

8. FAMI LIAR LY - FAMILIARLY

9. PAL PIT ATE - PALPITATE   

The same three-letter word has been taken out of each of the following words. The missing letters are in the same order. What is the missing word and what are the complete words?

1. _ _ RB _ E

2. RE _ _ _ E

3. _ _ R _ IC

4. CON _ E _ _

5. _ _ MB _ E

Answer:

The missing three-letter word is GAL:

1. GARBLE

2. REGALE

3. GARLIC

4. CONGEAL

5. GAMBLE  

NY Times Crossword 

March 26, 2026

Alex Murphy

 

The answers to the clues do not make sense until a certain change is made - as hinted in the last clue.

 

1. Literally, "rumbling ghost" -  POLEGRETIST

2. Flat feet - FALLCRANEHES

3. Pet renowned for its agreeableness - GOLDETERNRIEVER

4. Make a vulgar gesture

 

Answer to Clue 4:

FLIP THE BIRD

 

Answers to Clue 1-3:

 

Hidden in each answer is the name of a bird: EGRET, CRANE, and TERN. By "flipping" (re-arranging) the letters, the answer makes sense:

 

1. POLTERGEIST

2. FALLEN ARCHES

3. GOLDEN RETRIEVER 

  

1. What unusual property do the following words have in common?

ANTARCTIC

AFTERGLOW

ADORATION

 

2. What unusual property do the following words have in common?

 

DUMBSTRUCK

THUMBSCREW

BIRTHPLACE

 

Answer:

 

1. Each of the words is made up of three smaller words:

    ANT  ARC  TIC

    AFT   ERG  LOW

    ADO   RAT   ION 

 

2. All three words have five consonants in a row:

    duMBSTRuck

    thuMBSCRew

    biRTHPLace  

  

ODD ONE OUT 

Which word is the odd one out and why?

SAVE

MUSIC

ABOUT

SCRIPT

WASH

 

Answer:

 

SCRIPT is the odd word out. All the others can be associated with FACE:

Save face

Face the music

About face

Face wash