NYT Crossword Answers Today, November 15, 2026

The New York Times (NYT) Crossword for Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, "Side Tracks" by Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas: a hint for all 140 clues, then answers.

By Fresh Calendars News Desk, Editorial team, daily puzzles

Published November 14, 2026, 10:34 p.m. ET 19 min read

NYT Crossword answers for Nov. 15, 2026: a blank 21 by 21 Sunday crossword grid with one row highlighted — The New York Times Sunday Crossword for Nov. 15, 2026, titled "Side Tracks"; hints come first, the full list of answers at the end. Illustration: Fresh Calendars

In this article

Six song clues behind the title “Side Tracks”
Three question-mark clues and the trick in each
How Sunday’s grid is built
Hints for every clue
Today’s NYT Crossword answers (spoilers)

The New York Times (NYT) Sunday Crossword for Nov. 15, 2026, titled “Side Tracks,” was constructed by Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas and edited by Will Shortz: a 21-by-21 grid with 140 clues. Seven of its entries share a music idea, and this page lays out where they sit without naming one. Each clue has a hint behind a tap, and the answers sit at the bottom. Yesterday’s grid is in our Crossword answers for Nov. 14.

Six song clues behind the title “Side Tracks”

Six clues in the data are song titles followed by a year, and the entry beside each one is longer than anything else in its row: 23-Across, 34-Across, 43-Across, 93-Across, 103-Across and 116-Across. In the record’s title, the main words come first and a second set of words follows in round brackets. The clue prints the first set and the grid wants the second. That is the “side” of the title: each song is a track, and the bracketed words are its side.

A seventh entry, 69-Across, has 13 squares and a clue that says what the six answers are in relation to the song titles in their clues. Fill it early from its crossings and the other six stop looking odd.

Entry (squares)	Clue as printed	Where it sits
23-Across (17)	“Gonna Make You Sweat” (1990)	row 3, columns 1 to 17
34-Across (11)	“I Want You” (1969)	row 5, columns 11 to 21
43-Across (12)	“Single Ladies” (2008)	row 7, columns 1 to 12
69-Across (13)	What six answers in this puzzle are vis-à-vis the song titles in their clues	row 11, columns 5 to 17
93-Across (12)	“December, 1963” (1975)	row 15, columns 10 to 21
103-Across (11)	“This Must Be the Place” (1983)	row 17, columns 1 to 11
116-Across (17)	“Escape” (1979)	row 19, columns 5 to 21

The placement mirrors itself through the middle. Turn the grid half a revolution and 23-Across lands on 116-Across, 34-Across on 103-Across and 43-Across on 93-Across, while 69-Across stays put in the center row. The six song answers add up to 80 squares (17, 11, 12, 12, 11 and 17) and the seventh brings the theme to 93 of the 367 lettered squares.

Three question-mark clues and the trick in each

Only three clues end in a question mark. None of the explanations below names its answer.

123-Across, “Unconsciously make noise?” Five letters. “Make noise” has no intent behind it here; the verb belongs to someone who is not awake, and the question mark moves it from a deliberate sound to an involuntary one.
53-Down, “Giving thought to somebody?” Nine letters. “Giving” means sending, not considering. The thought travels from one head to another with nothing said, and the answer is the name for that process.
97-Down, “Result of someone needling you?” Six letters. Drop the teasing sense of “needling”
a needle is literally at work, and what it leaves behind stays on the skin.
Show the answer
Tattoo

Three clues without a question mark also read sideways. 64-Across is a stage direction in square brackets, [Wags finger], and the answer is a sound that means no. 116-Down, Third of three X’s, maybe, wants a word from a game played with crosses and circles. 44-Down, “Are you out?”, is a question whose answer is another question, four words long.

How Sunday’s grid is built

The grid is 21 by 21, which is 441 squares: 74 are black and 367 hold a letter. It has 140 entries, 69 Across and 71 Down, and the black squares are symmetric under a half turn.

By length, the 140 entries are 33 of 3 letters, 28 of 4, 38 of 5, 16 of 6, eight of 7, two of 8, eight of 9, two of 11, two of 12, one of 13 and two of 17. The seven theme entries are the only ones above 9 letters, so every Down entry is 9 squares or shorter, and the longest non-theme Across entries have 7 letters. Eight Down entries have exactly 9: 36-Down, 37-Down and 38-Down sit side by side in columns 1 to 3, starting in row 6; 52-Down, 53-Down and 54-Down mirror them in columns 19 to 21, starting in row 8; 44-Down in column 6 and 47-Down in column 16 stand apart.

One clue, 59-Across, names a pope by Roman numeral, Leo the Fourteenth (XIV). Other clue types, counted from the list: 14 clues are fill-in-the-blank with a blank line, and 16 open with a quotation mark. Five flag a shortened answer: 3-Down, 114-Down and 120-Down say “Abbr.”, while 56-Across and 65-Down say “in brief”. Thirty-three entries are three letters long, which is the most common length in the grid.

The grid carries no rebus squares; every cell holds one letter. With a title that points at records, the rules for the daily grid are on our NYT Crossword page.

Hints for every clue

Across

1-Across (6 letters), Flat
geometry’s word for a shape that lies in one sheet with no depth; starts like “plan”.
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Planar
7-Across (5 letters), Stupors
foggy, drowsy states of mind; also thin mists in the air, in the plural.
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Hazes
12-Across (4 letters), Read, as a bar code
what a checkout laser does to the stripes on a package; also to skim a page quickly.
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Scan
16-Across (3 letters), Ending of some D.C. addresses
the web ending for federal and state sites, short for the word for those in power.
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Gov
19-Across (6 letters), ___ Singer, longtime cast member on “The Real Housewives of New York City”
a first name of six letters that starts with R and ends in A, borne by a New York reality-TV personality.
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Ramona
20-Across (5 letters), Board at a nail salon
the gritty abrasive coating on a file for fingernails.
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Emery
21-Across (4 letters), Housebroken, say
trained to live indoors with people; the opposite of wild.
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Tame
22-Across (3 letters), Classic TV brand
an electronics and TV maker whose mascot was a dog listening to a gramophone; three letters.
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Rca
23-Across (17 letters), “Gonna Make You Sweat” (1990)
the tag the 1990 hit carries after its main title: an order to the whole room to start moving to the beat, four words run together.
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Everybodydancenow
26-Across (3 letters), Fixture at many a cash-only restaurant
the machine that hands out bills; a restaurant that takes only cash often keeps one by the door.
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Atm
27-Across (4 letters), Chicken ___ (cheesy dish)
clipped name of the hard Italian cheese melted over a breaded cutlet.
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Parm
28-Across (3 letters), “Hang tight,” in textspeak
texting shorthand for “be right back”.
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Brb
29-Across (5 letters), Rap artist who once appeared as a hologram at Coachella
a rapper killed in 1996 who was projected on a Coachella stage as a hologram years later; five letters starting with T.
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Tupac
30-Across (4 letters), Mate
British slang for a fellow; also what cold wind does to lips.
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Chap
31-Across (6 letters), “Oh, OK”
what you say once an explanation sinks in: three words run together, the middle one a pronoun.
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Ahisee
34-Across (11 letters), “I Want You” (1969)
the tag after the Beatles’ “I Want You”: a contraction, an adverb and an adjective for weighing a lot, run together.
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Shessoheavy
36-Across (5 letters), Trap
a loop that catches small game; also the drum with wires stretched across its head.
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Snare
39-Across (5 letters), ”… never mind”
a hedge after a suggestion: “or” plus a negative word, run together.
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Ornot
41-Across (3 letters), Canine command
what a trainer asks a dog to do before handing over a treat.
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Sit
42-Across (5 letters), ”___ the Patchwork Elephant” (children’s book series)
the patchwork elephant of the children’s books; it is also the first name of a cartoon hunter who chases a rabbit.
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Elmer
43-Across (12 letters), “Single Ladies” (2008)
the tag after Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”: a demand for a marriage proposal, five words run together.
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Putaringonit
46-Across (5 letters), Like the sounds “m,” “n” and “ng,” in English
said of a sound made partly through the nose; a stuffy voice is described this way.
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Nasal
48-Across (6 letters), Emmitt and kin, in “Zootopia”
sleek river swimmers that float on their backs; the plural, since the clue names a whole family.
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Otters
49-Across (5 letters), Like some meats
preserved with salt or smoke, as bacon and ham are.
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Cured
51-Across (6 letters), Picks up
takes on as one’s own, such as a shelter pet or a new habit.
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Adopts
55-Across (3 letters), Mao ___-tung
the middle piece of the Chinese leader’s name, before “tung”; three letters ending in E.
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Tse
56-Across (5 letters), Some medical assistants, in brief
short for the technicians who run scans and lab tests, in the plural.
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Techs
59-Across (5 letters), Relating to Leo XIV, e.g.
relating to the Vatican’s leader; it starts with a baby-talk word for father.
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Papal
62-Across (3 letters), Exclamation on some Halloween décor
the squeal at a plastic spider on a porch.
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Eek
63-Across (3 letters), Profs’ right hands
short for the grad students who grade papers for a professor, plural.
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Tas
64-Across (4 letters), [Wags finger]
the sound that says no, two syllables; the clue is a stage direction in brackets.
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Uhuh
65-Across (7 letters), Portia of “Arrested Development”
surname of the actress who played Lindsay in the Bluth family comedy; written as two words run together, “de” first.
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Derossi
67-Across (3 letters), Olympic gymnast Raisman
first name of the gymnast Raisman, a three-letter short form.
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Aly
68-Across (3 letters), Govt. payment system
initials for the electronic card that carries food-aid benefits.
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Ebt
69-Across (13 letters), What six answers in this puzzle are vis-à-vis the song titles in their clues
a 13-letter adjective for an aside set off in round brackets; it is what the six long song answers are to the titles in their clues.
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Parenthetical
72-Across (3 letters), Animation frame
a clear sheet an animator paints on; three letters starting with C.
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Cel
73-Across (3 letters), “Code red! Code red!”
a distress call; the first and last letters match.
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Sos
74-Across (7 letters), Officially, the Empire State Building has 102 of them
floors in a tall building; also tales.
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Stories
75-Across (4 letters), Aggrieved
hurting, or still angry about a loss.
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Sore
76-Across (3 letters), Lead-in to “curious,” for a food website
a prefix meaning “upon”, as in the point on the surface above an earthquake’s focus.
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Epi
77-Across (3 letters), Disapproving sound
a click of the tongue that shows disapproval; also the nickname of an Egyptian boy king.
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Tut
78-Across (5 letters), Japanese sneaker maker
the shoe brand whose name abbreviates a Latin phrase about a sound mind in a sound body.
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Asics
79-Across (5 letters), Take care of
to handle or attend to; two words run together, the first a verb of eyesight.
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Seeto
81-Across (3 letters), Lose to gravity
droop in the middle, like an old mattress.
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Sag
82-Across (6 letters), Like some of the French crown jewels in 2025
taken without permission, as in the 2025 Louvre theft; also what a runner does to reach second base.
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Stolen
85-Across (5 letters), Certain jazz combo
a group of eight musicians; the prefix means eight.
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Octet
87-Across (6 letters), Feminist scholar Butler
first name of the philosopher Butler; also a biblical heroine who struck down an enemy general.
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Judith
90-Across (5 letters), Cropped up
came up, as a question did; also got out of bed.
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Arose
93-Across (12 letters), “December, 1963” (1975)
the tag after “December, 1963”: an exclamation plus three words that praise an evening, run together.
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Ohwhatanight
96-Across (5 letters), Early arcade name
the company behind Pong, a pioneer of arcades.
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Atari
99-Across (3 letters), Couch shape
a shape like a capital letter, as a sofa that turns a corner; spelled as that letter’s name.
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Ell
101-Across (5 letters), Sherlock’s sister on TV
Holmes’s fictional younger sister; her first name is “alone” spelled backward.
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Enola
102-Across (5 letters), Musical collection, say
statuettes given for stage plays and musicals; the plural of a man’s first name.
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Tonys
103-Across (11 letters), “This Must Be the Place” (1983)
the tag after Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place”: two words run together, the first meaning innocent.
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Naivemelody
106-Across (6 letters), Clog or loafer
a shoe with no laces, buckle or zipper; two words run together.
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Slipon
108-Across (4 letters), ___ vez (again, in Spanish)
the Spanish word for “other”, feminine form, ahead of “vez”.
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Otra
109-Across (5 letters), Landmark 1988 Japanese animated film
the 1988 anime film set in Neo-Tokyo; also a Japanese first name.
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Akira
110-Across (3 letters), Freud conceived of a “super” one
the part of the mind in Freud’s model that sits beside the id; three letters.
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Ego
111-Across (4 letters), Talks, talks, talks
chatters on and on; also shaggy cattle of the Himalayas.
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Yaks
115-Across (3 letters), ”___ be nice!”
a contraction of “it would”.
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Itd
116-Across (17 letters), “Escape” (1979)
the tag after “Escape”: named for a rum-and-coconut cocktail, four words run together with an N-tilde in the second.
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Thepinacoladasong
121-Across (3 letters), Neither’s partner
the word that pairs with “neither”, as “or” pairs with “either”.
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Nor
122-Across (4 letters), Rest on one’s ___
rowing blades; coasting on past success is “resting on” them.
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Oars
123-Across (5 letters), Unconsciously make noise?
what a sleeper does with no intent, a verb; the question mark makes “make noise” an act of the body, not of the will.
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Snore
124-Across (6 letters), Like some apartment appliances
how an apartment washer sits when it needs no trip to a laundromat; two words run together.
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Inunit
125-Across (3 letters), Goody bag item
a small prize tucked into a party bag.
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Toy
126-Across (4 letters), If’s partner, in coding
the branch of code that runs when the “if” test fails.
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Else
127-Across (5 letters), Defeats by a hair
wins by a narrow margin; also borders of a page.
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Edges
128-Across (6 letters), Foreign spies, e.g.
valuables on a balance sheet; also what spy agencies call the people they recruit.
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Assets

Down

1-Down (4 letters), ___ school
short for “preparatory”; also to get ready, as to chop vegetables.
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Prep
2-Down (4 letters), Hot stuff
molten rock from a volcano; also the floor in a children’s game.
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Lava
3-Down (4 letters), Red, white and blue land: Abbr.
clipped form of the adjective for someone from the United States, used on maps.
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Amer
4-Down (8 letters), Oscar-winning Sally Field role of 1979
the title character of the 1979 film about a textile worker who stands on a table with a sign; two names run together.
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Normarae
5-Down (3 letters), Whichever
“whichever” in other words; it precedes “one” or “thing”.
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Any
6-Down (5 letters), Clergyperson on the bimah
the leader of a Jewish service; the bimah is the raised platform where this person leads prayers.
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Rabbi
7-Down (7 letters), Comedian Mitch who said “An escalator can never break; it can only become stairs”
the late deadpan comic known for one-liners; his name starts with HE.
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Hedberg
8-Down (3 letters), “Gilmore Girls” creator ___ Sherman-Palladino
a three-letter first name ending in Y, the creator’s own.
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Amy
9-Down (3 letters), British ending
how a Londoner says the last letter of the alphabet.
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Zed
10-Down (3 letters), Flop ___ (period of personal setbacks, in modern slang)
a span of history; add an S for the word that names a Taylor Swift tour.
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Era
11-Down (5 letters), Instrument associated with ’80s music
the keyboard that gave 1980s pop its electronic sound, shortened to five letters.
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Synth
12-Down (7 letters), Helps to handle something
intervenes to help; two words run together.
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Stepsin
13-Down (7 letters), Rummy relative
a card game in the rummy family, played with two decks; its name is Spanish for “basket”.
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Canasta
14-Down (5 letters), BP brand
a gas-station brand now part of BP; three of its five letters are vowels.
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Amoco
15-Down (3 letters), Email status
the status of an unread message; the opposite of old.
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New
16-Down (6 letters), Kind of cracker
the cracker used for a s’mores base.
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Graham
17-Down (6 letters), Musical interval
the interval of eight notes between two Cs on a piano.
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Octave
18-Down (6 letters), Another name for the Slayer Handbook, in the “Buffy” franchise
an older spelling of a blood-drinking monster of folklore, with a Y where today’s spelling has an I; six letters.
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Vampyr
24-Down (5 letters), Filmmaker Welles
first name of the director of “Citizen Kane”; also the first name of the sci-fi author Card.
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Orson
25-Down (4 letters), Sticks on a table
pool players’ sticks; also signals telling an actor to enter.
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Cues
30-Down (5 letters), Instrument with an endpin
the large bowed string instrument held between the knees; its endpin rests on the floor.
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Cello
32-Down (4 letters), Mr. abroad
German for “Mr.”
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Herr
33-Down (5 letters), Cain’s firstborn
the firstborn son of Cain in Genesis; Cain named a city after him.
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Enoch
34-Down (4 letters), Recipe directive
mix with a spoon; also to begin to wake and move.
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Stir
35-Down (4 letters), Broccoli unit
a unit of lettuce, cauliflower or broccoli; also the top of the body.
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Head
36-Down (9 letters), Some quick chemical assessments
quick checks done where the evidence sits, as a drop of reagent on a powder; two words run together.
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Spottests
37-Down (9 letters), Gaga for
crazy in love with; two words run together, the first a snack or a crackpot.
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Nutsabout
38-Down (9 letters), Co-signs
swears is true, as a witness does; a verb and a preposition run together.
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Atteststo
40-Down (4 letters), Albatross
a burden or duty; Latin for “load”.
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Onus
44-Down (9 letters), “Are you out?”
a four-word question that asks whether a refusal is final; the clue is a question and so is the answer.
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Isthatano
45-Down (5 letters), Conical dwelling
a cone-shaped tent of the Plains peoples, spelled with three E’s; “tipi” is the other spelling.
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Tepee
47-Down (9 letters), Mexican dip
literally “red sauce” in Spanish, two words run together.
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Salsaroja
50-Down (4 letters), Fabric fold stitched into a waistline, say
a fold sewn into fabric to shape a garment; also a pointed throwing missile in a pub game.
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Dart
52-Down (9 letters), Hand gesture in the form of “bunny ears”
two raised fingers in a V; two words run together.
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Peacesign
53-Down (9 letters), Giving thought to somebody?
mind-to-mind messaging with no words; the question mark turns “giving thought” into sending a thought across a distance.
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Telepathy
54-Down (9 letters), Atrium features
roof windows that let daylight into an atrium; the plural.
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Skylights
57-Down (5 letters), They’re used in Ireland but not Northern Ireland
the money used in Ireland; Northern Ireland uses pounds.
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Euros
58-Down (5 letters), French darling
French for “darling”, masculine form, ending in I.
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Cheri
60-Down (5 letters), Composure
calm, balanced self-assurance under pressure; it rhymes with “boys”.
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Poise
61-Down (5 letters), Scarflike tie
a wide scarf-style tie worn at the neck; also a racecourse in England known for its hats.
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Ascot
64-Down (3 letters), Positive periods
good stretches, the partner of downs.
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Ups
65-Down (3 letters), Cabinet creation of 2002, in brief
the department formed after the Sept. 11 attacks; three initials.
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Dhs
66-Down (3 letters), Michigan’s Grosse ___
French for “island”; Grosse ___ is a Michigan township in the Detroit River.
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Ile
70-Down (4 letters), One-named singer who collaborated with the Velvet Underground
the German-born singer on the Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut album; four letters.
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Nico
71-Down (5 letters), U.K. grocery chain
a British supermarket brand; five letters starting with T.
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Tesco
79-Down (4 letters), Like most clothing
stitched together, as a seam; the way most garments are made.
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Sewn
80-Down (5 letters), Essential character
the guiding beliefs of a person or group; it comes from a Greek word for character.
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Ethos
83-Down (5 letters), Grub
the wormlike stage of an insect between egg and pupa.
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Larva
84-Down (4 letters), Shallowest Great Lake
the Great Lake with the shallowest water, also the name of a Pennsylvania city on its shore.
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Erie
86-Down (4 letters), “So ___ say”
the pronoun in “so ___ say”, standing for unnamed folks.
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They
88-Down (4 letters), Golden Rule preposition
an old-fashioned “to”, as in the Golden Rule.
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Unto
89-Down (8 letters), Bacchanal honoree
the Greek god of wine, whose Roman counterpart gave us the word “bacchanal”.
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Dionysus
91-Down (7 letters), Those on a quest
people looking for something, such as thrills or answers.
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Seekers
92-Down (7 letters), Planetary orbit shape
an oval; the shape of a planet’s path around the Sun.
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Ellipse
94-Down (7 letters), Genetic variants
versions of a gene at the same spot on a chromosome; the plural, with two L’s side by side.
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Alleles
95-Down (5 letters), Siberian forest
the northern forest of conifers that spans Russia and Canada.
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Taiga
96-Down (6 letters), Rub with oil, say
to smear with oil in a blessing, as a priest does for a monarch.
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Anoint
97-Down (6 letters), Result of someone needling you?
the question mark makes “needling” literal: a needle at work in the skin, and the lasting result is a design in ink.
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Tattoo
98-Down (6 letters), Hang on a clothesline, say
let laundry dry without a machine; two words run together.
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Airdry
100-Down (4 letters), ___ Beth Denberg, original cast member of “All That”
first name of the original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch show “All That”; four letters ending in I.
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Lori
104-Down (5 letters), Taj ___
the word after “Taj” in the white marble tomb’s name.
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Mahal
105-Down (5 letters), Ballet, par exemple
the French word for the art form of the clue, “ballet, par exemple”.
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Danse
107-Down (5 letters), Speaking spots
platforms a speaker stands behind; the plural of “podium” in its Latin form.
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Podia
112-Down (4 letters), Top of the top
first-rate, as in “A-1”: a letter and a number spelled out, run together.
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Aone
113-Down (4 letters), Do some fiber art
make a sweater from yarn with two needles.
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Knit
114-Down (4 letters), Squad leaders: Abbr.
short for the sergeants who lead squads, in the plural; four letters.
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Sgts
116-Down (3 letters), Third of three X’s, maybe
the last word of a three-word game played with X’s and O’s.
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Toe
117-Down (3 letters), “Your point being …?”
a short conjunction a skeptic says alone to ask for more.
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And
118-Down (3 letters), Worker bee, so to speak
a tooth on a gear; also a small worker in a big machine.
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Cog
119-Down (3 letters), Load from a lode
rock dug from a lode for the metal in it.
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Ore
120-Down (3 letters), Q&A part: Abbr.
short for what a quiz gives after each question.
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Ans

Mark the solving days on our printable calendar for November 2026 or the weekly calendar to print.

More of Sunday’s puzzles: Wordle hints, Connections hints, Strands hints and Spelling Bee hints. Saturday’s grid is in our Crossword answers for Nov. 14, Friday’s in our Crossword answers for Nov. 13, and the previous Sunday’s in our Crossword answers for Nov. 8.

Today’s NYT Crossword answers (spoilers)

Stop here if you still want to solve it yourself.

Clue	Answer
1-Across	Planar
7-Across	Hazes
12-Across	Scan
16-Across	Gov
19-Across	Ramona
20-Across	Emery
21-Across	Tame
22-Across	Rca
23-Across	Everybodydancenow
26-Across	Atm
27-Across	Parm
28-Across	Brb
29-Across	Tupac
30-Across	Chap
31-Across	Ahisee
34-Across	Shessoheavy
36-Across	Snare
39-Across	Ornot
41-Across	Sit
42-Across	Elmer
43-Across	Putaringonit
46-Across	Nasal
48-Across	Otters
49-Across	Cured
51-Across	Adopts
55-Across	Tse
56-Across	Techs
59-Across	Papal
62-Across	Eek
63-Across	Tas
64-Across	Uhuh
65-Across	Derossi
67-Across	Aly
68-Across	Ebt
69-Across	Parenthetical
72-Across	Cel
73-Across	Sos
74-Across	Stories
75-Across	Sore
76-Across	Epi
77-Across	Tut
78-Across	Asics
79-Across	Seeto
81-Across	Sag
82-Across	Stolen
85-Across	Octet
87-Across	Judith
90-Across	Arose
93-Across	Ohwhatanight
96-Across	Atari
99-Across	Ell
101-Across	Enola
102-Across	Tonys
103-Across	Naivemelody
106-Across	Slipon
108-Across	Otra
109-Across	Akira
110-Across	Ego
111-Across	Yaks
115-Across	Itd
116-Across	Thepinacoladasong
121-Across	Nor
122-Across	Oars
123-Across	Snore
124-Across	Inunit
125-Across	Toy
126-Across	Else
127-Across	Edges
128-Across	Assets
1-Down	Prep
2-Down	Lava
3-Down	Amer
4-Down	Normarae
5-Down	Any
6-Down	Rabbi
7-Down	Hedberg
8-Down	Amy
9-Down	Zed
10-Down	Era
11-Down	Synth
12-Down	Stepsin
13-Down	Canasta
14-Down	Amoco
15-Down	New
16-Down	Graham
17-Down	Octave
18-Down	Vampyr
24-Down	Orson
25-Down	Cues
30-Down	Cello
32-Down	Herr
33-Down	Enoch
34-Down	Stir
35-Down	Head
36-Down	Spottests
37-Down	Nutsabout
38-Down	Atteststo
40-Down	Onus
44-Down	Isthatano
45-Down	Tepee
47-Down	Salsaroja
50-Down	Dart
52-Down	Peacesign
53-Down	Telepathy
54-Down	Skylights
57-Down	Euros
58-Down	Cheri
60-Down	Poise
61-Down	Ascot
64-Down	Ups
65-Down	Dhs
66-Down	Ile
70-Down	Nico
71-Down	Tesco
79-Down	Sewn
80-Down	Ethos
83-Down	Larva
84-Down	Erie
86-Down	They
88-Down	Unto
89-Down	Dionysus
91-Down	Seekers
92-Down	Ellipse
94-Down	Alleles
95-Down	Taiga
96-Down	Anoint
97-Down	Tattoo
98-Down	Airdry
100-Down	Lori
104-Down	Mahal
105-Down	Danse
107-Down	Podia
112-Down	Aone
113-Down	Knit
114-Down	Sgts
116-Down	Toe
117-Down	And
118-Down	Cog
119-Down	Ore
120-Down	Ans

The filled grid, with each clue number in its first square. Drawn from the official puzzle data published by The New York Times.

The answers come from the puzzle’s official data.

Yesterday's Crossword answer

The Crossword on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026: Across 1 Chaw, 5 Loft, 9 Crash, 14 Lithuania, 16 Hence, 17 Arranging, 18 Idiom, 19 Meathook, 20 Schmos, 21 Aeon, 22 Pokeat, 23 Twoman, 26 Paleales, 28 Rapid, 29 Pecantart, 30 Eye, 31 Quakers, 33 Cpu, 34 Announcer, 36 Cutin, 38 Tedtalks, 39 Dryset, 40 Metres, 41 Crag, 42 Labatt, 43 Flathead, 47 Inawe, 48 Beefcurry, 49 Notar, 50 Earthrise, 51 Tress, 52 Arks, 53 Seed; Down 1 Clam, 2 Hire, 3 Atra, 4 Whatami, 5 Lagoon, 6 Onion, 7 Fink, 8 Tag, 9 Chickenscratch, 10 Redheat, 11 Animalacts, 12 Scooterpie, 13 Hems, 15 Unheadquarters, 20 Solar, 22 Pacer, 23 Treat, 24 Waynemanor, 25 Opendebate, 26 Pekes, 27 Stunt, 29 Packs, 32 Unlet, 35 Ottawas, 37 Uyghurs, 39 Drafts, 41 Clerk, 42 Lint, 43 Fear, 44 Erie, 45 Arse, 46 Dyed, 48 Bea. Yesterday's hints and full solution.

Frequently asked questions

Who made today's NYT Crossword?

Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas constructed the Nov. 15, 2026 grid and Will Shortz edited it, according to the puzzle data. Its title is "Side Tracks".

Why do six long answers look like half a song title today?

Each of the six clues gives a song title and a year, and the grid holds only the tail the title carries in round brackets. The song's main words are in the clue and never in the grid.

Which entries are the longest in the Nov. 15, 2026 Crossword?

Two Across entries of 17 squares: 23-Across in row 3, columns 1 to 17, and 116-Across in row 19, columns 5 to 21. Both clues are song titles with a year.

What are the NYT Crossword answers for Nov. 15, 2026?

Spoilers: Across, Planar, Hazes, Scan, Gov, Ramona, Emery, Tame, Rca, Everybodydancenow, Atm, Parm, Brb, Tupac, Chap, Ahisee, Shessoheavy, Snare, Ornot, Sit, Elmer, Putaringonit, Nasal, Otters, Cured, Adopts, Tse, Techs, Papal, Eek, Tas, Uhuh, Derossi, Aly, Ebt, Parenthetical, Cel, Sos, Stories, Sore, Epi, Tut, Asics, Seeto, Sag, Stolen, Octet, Judith, Arose, Ohwhatanight, Atari, Ell, Enola, Tonys, Naivemelody, Slipon, Otra, Akira, Ego, Yaks, Itd, Thepinacoladasong, Nor, Oars, Snore, Inunit, Toy, Else, Edges, Assets, Down, Prep, Lava, Amer, Normarae, Any, Rabbi, Hedberg, Amy, Zed, Era, Synth, Stepsin, Canasta, Amoco, New, Graham, Octave, Vampyr, Orson, Cues, Cello, Herr, Enoch, Stir, Head, Spottests, Nutsabout, Atteststo, Onus, Isthatano, Tepee, Salsaroja, Dart, Peacesign, Telepathy, Skylights, Euros, Cheri, Poise, Ascot, Ups, Dhs, Ile, Nico, Tesco, Sewn, Ethos, Larva, Erie, They, Unto, Dionysus, Seekers, Ellipse, Alleles, Taiga, Anoint, Tattoo, Airdry, Lori, Mahal, Danse, Podia, Aone, Knit, Sgts, Toe, And, Cog, Ore, Ans.

Sources

The Crossword (The New York Times)

Fresh Calendars News Desk

Editorial team, daily puzzles

The Fresh Calendars News Desk is the editorial team behind Fresh Calendars News. It publishes the daily puzzle pages for games such as Wordle, NYT Connections, Strands, Pips, Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword and Contexto, each with graded hints first and a clearly marked answer section after them. Answers come from the publisher's own game data where it exists and are checked against that saved data before a page goes live; for games without official data, a page waits until two independent published solutions agree. The desk also handles reader tips and correction reports for the whole site, works with the editors who cover holidays, school calendars, money, time changes and seasonal events, and notes each correction at the end of the article with the date it was made.