Wall Street Journal Crossword

February 12, 2026

Sam Cordes

 

What do the following phrases and compound word have in common? 

 

1. COURT DATE

2. DROP KICK

3. SMASH HIT

4. BANKROLL 

 

Answer:

 

The two words in each phrase and each half of the compound word are synonyms of each other. (i.e. Court and date both mean to go out with someone.) This is distinct from the meanings of the phrases and the compound word themselves.