NYT Crossword Answers and Hints for Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026: Four Wordplay Clues, 66 in All

The New York Times (NYT) Crossword for Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026: a hint for all 66 of Adrian Johnson's clues, four wordplay tricks explained, then answers.

By Fresh Calendars News Desk

Published November 6, 2026, 10:30 p.m. ET 10 min read

NYT Crossword answers for Nov. 7, 2026: a blank 15 by 15 crossword grid with one row highlighted — The New York Times Crossword for Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026; hints come first, the full list of answers at the end. Illustration: Fresh Calendars

In this article

Four wordplay clues in Saturday’s grid
Clue types in the 66-clue list
Hints for every clue
How Saturday’s grid is built
Today’s NYT Crossword answers (spoilers)

Saturday’s New York Times (NYT) Crossword, dated Nov. 7, 2026, comes from Adrian Johnson and was edited by Will Shortz: a 15-by-15 grid with 66 clues. Four clues end in a question mark, which often flags a pun, and this page unpacks each one. Every clue below has a hint that opens on a tap, and the answers wait at the bottom.

Four wordplay clues in Saturday’s grid

The data holds four clues that end in a question mark. No explanation below names an answer.

25-Across, “Kid-friendly business?” “Kid” is not a child here. Think of a young animal with horns that lives on a farm, and read “business” as the place that raises it. Eight letters, two words run together.
51-Across, “One looking over a shoulder?” The shoulder belongs to a highway, not a person. The answer is someone who works beside traffic in a safety vest, ten letters.
54-Across, “First to seven?” Nothing here is counted. Look at the word “seven” as spelled and take its opening letter; the answer is how that letter is named aloud. Three letters.
25-Down, “Someone who might need to get a life?” Here “life” is an extra try in a video game, and the person needing one is deep into play. Five letters.

Clue types in the 66-clue list

Counting from the clue list, two clues are fill-in-the-blank, each with a blank line where a word goes: 1-Down and 32-Down. Five clues open with a quotation mark, among them 14-Across and 55-Across. Two clues flag a shortened answer, 11-Across with “for short” and 22-Down with “abbr.” No clue points to another clue by number.

Thirteen answers are proper names: a person, a character, a brand, a band, a game, a place or a scale. Those are the answers to 1-Across, 20-Across, 31-Across, 52-Across, 1-Down, 3-Down, 8-Down, 31-Down, 36-Down, 40-Down, 42-Down, 47-Down and 49-Down.

Hints for every clue

Across

1-Across (10 letters), Beetle alternative beginning in 1961
a small British hatchback brand launched to rival a German classic; two words run together, the first meaning little.
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Minicooper
11-Across (3 letters), Texting tech, for short
the initials behind everyday text messages; no vowels.
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Sms
14-Across (10 letters), “Lord willing!”
a wistful reply that something is wished for but not certain; three short words run together.
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Onecanhope
15-Across (4 letters), Word with square or value
food eaten sitting down at breakfast, lunch or dinner; a “square” one is a full one.
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Meal
16-Across (10 letters), Krypton, to Superman
the world where someone began life, two words run together; the second is a celestial body.
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Homeplanet
17-Across (4 letters), ”… approximately”
a casual hedge tacked onto a number, two short words run together; the first is a conjunction.
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Orso
18-Across (10 letters), Forest Service employee responsible for winter rescues
a park-service worker who handles cold-weather rescues; two words run together, the first is what falls in a blizzard and the second is a park official.
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Snowranger
19-Across (4 letters), Head of Togo or Congo
the French word for “head”; the same two letters appear twice.
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Tete
20-Across (4 letters), Beatles song subject who is “filling in a ticket in her little white book”
a woman’s first name, the meter maid in a famous Beatles song title.
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Rita
21-Across (5 letters), Football blocking group, informally
the group of big players who protect a quarterback; a letter and a word, run together.
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Oline
23-Across (5 letters), “The breath of art,” per Frank Lloyd Wright
what an architect shapes inside a building; it is also where rockets travel.
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Space
25-Across (8 letters), Kid-friendly business?
wordplay on a young one of a horned barnyard animal; two words run together, the second a rural livestock operation; see the wordplay section.
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Goatfarm
28-Across (5 letters), Sporty car type
a two-door car body style, sportier than a sedan.
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Coupe
29-Across (8 letters), Post-run activity
a relaxed social time at the lodge after a day on the slopes; two words borrowed from French.
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Apresski
30-Across (3 letters), Start of many cathedral names
the English for the first word of “Notre Dame”; a possessive pronoun.
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Our
31-Across (5 letters), “12 Angry Men” director, 1957
surname of the New York filmmaker who also directed Dog Day Afternoon.
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Lumet
33-Across (3 letters), Beginning of many French team nicknames
the French plural for “the”.
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Les
34-Across (8 letters), It features one leg perpendicular to the other
a standing yoga balance named for something with branches; two words run together, the second a word for stance.
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Treepose
37-Across (5 letters), Practices salat, in Islam
talks to a higher power at set times; a verb ending in S.
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Prays
39-Across (8 letters), Twistable kitchen item
a twistable countdown gadget for boiling a breakfast item; two words run together, the second measures minutes.
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Eggtimer
40-Across (5 letters), Abounds
swarms or is crowded with.
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Teems
41-Across (5 letters), Nurse back to full strength
treatment for recovering from an injury or addiction; shortened from a longer word.
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Rehab
42-Across (4 letters), Cries of enlightenment
exclamations of sudden understanding, plural.
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Ahas
43-Across (4 letters), Job for which you might offer a hand, informally
a salon treatment for fingernails, shortened; its sibling is the “pedi”.
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Mani
44-Across (10 letters), Withdrawal takeaway
paper from a cash machine showing your balance; the first word is that machine’s three-letter abbreviation, the second a paper slip.
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Atmreceipt
50-Across (4 letters), Beowulfian, say
a long heroic poem in the style of Homer.
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Epic
51-Across (10 letters), One looking over a shoulder?
a pun on the edge strip beside a highway; a person in a hard hat and orange vest, two words run together; see the wordplay section.
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Roadworker
52-Across (4 letters), Father of King Minos
king of the Greek gods.
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Zeus
53-Across (10 letters), Plea from lazy children, perhaps
a whining question from kids facing a chore; four short words run together.
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Dowehaveto
54-Across (3 letters), First to seven?
the spelled-out name of a letter; see the wordplay section.
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Ess
55-Across (10 letters), “Oof, I’m struggling”
a tired confession that a task is tough; three words run together.
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Itsnoteasy

Down

1-Down (4 letters), ___ scale
the hardness scale for minerals, named for a German mineralogist; diamond tops it at 10.
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Mohs
2-Down (4 letters), Hip to
two prepositions run together, meaning aware of a secret.
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Inon
3-Down (4 letters), Titular Pixar character who’s mistakenly called names like Bingo, Chico and Fabio
a clownfish who goes missing in the ocean, the title of a Pixar film; also the name of a Jules Verne captain.
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Nemo
4-Down (7 letters), Cold application for a pitcher
a bandage that chills a sore arm; two words run together, the first is frozen water.
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Icewrap
5-Down (7 letters), Whimsy
a sudden change of mind with no reason; also a Chevrolet model name.
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Caprice
6-Down (6 letters), Airing during the wee hours, say
two words run together describing a program slot after midnight; the second is the opposite of early.
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Onlate
7-Down (5 letters), Hawaiian word for “family”
Hawaiian for “family”; in Lilo & Stitch, nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
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Ohana
8-Down (4 letters), Atari release of 1972
the first hit arcade game, a table-tennis simulation.
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Pong
9-Down (4 letters), Literally, “sword”
a fencing blade with a bell guard; French for sword.
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Epee
10-Down (8 letters), Nostalgia-inducing illustrations and typography
a throwback look in posters and packaging; two words run together, the second is what hangs in a museum.
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Retroart
11-Down (10 letters), Tennis feat completed by Novak Djokovic in 2016 (but named for a different player)
named for an American woman champion who won 23 major singles titles; two words run together, the second a word for a clean sweep of the majors.
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Serenaslam
12-Down (10 letters), Things on superintendents’ rings
metal items on a building superintendent’s ring that open every door; two words run together, the first means expert.
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Masterkeys
13-Down (4 letters), Fizzy cocktail flavor
the berry that flavors a gin fizz; it rhymes with “glow”.
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Sloe
15-Down (6 letters), Recurring images, in literary analysis
recurring themes or images in a story; plural.
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Motifs
22-Down (3 letters), Smartphone tech abbr.
a fast cellular standard of the 4G era, three letters.
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Lte
23-Down (10 letters), What the Fox evidences in an Aesop fable
bitter pretending that the unreachable fruit was never wanted; two words run together, the first is how a lemon tastes and the second is vineyard fruit.
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Sourgrapes
24-Down (10 letters), Brilliant stuff
praise for a brilliant idea; two words run together, the first means unmixed and the second is an extremely gifted person.
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Puregenius
25-Down (5 letters), Someone who might need to get a life?
someone with a controller and a headset; the clue’s “life” is an extra try in play; see the wordplay section.
Show the answer
Gamer
26-Down (3 letters), Reveal, poetically
a poet’s clipped verb meaning to reveal, three letters.
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Ope
27-Down (4 letters), Whiff
a swing that finds nothing; also the title for an unmarried woman.
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Miss
28-Down (4 letters), Digs for a dove
a small shelter where doves roost.
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Cote
31-Down (8 letters), Football coach who famously said “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing”
the surname on the NFL’s championship trophy.
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Lombardi
32-Down (3 letters), Fair ___
a verb meaning to employ; “fair” ones are legal limits on copying.
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Use
35-Down (6 letters), U.S. House committee since 1967
the field of moral principles; also the House panel that investigates members’ conduct.
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Ethics
36-Down (3 letters), Women’s soccer coach Sundhage
a Swedish soccer coach’s first name; she led the U.S. women to Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012.
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Pia
37-Down (7 letters), Woolen outerwear
a heavy double-breasted wool jacket worn by sailors.
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Peacoat
38-Down (7 letters), Backup group
spare players on the bench, or to keep something for later.
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Reserve
40-Down (6 letters), Band whose “Live at Leeds” album went double platinum
a British rock band, famous for Baba O’Riley; the name is an article plus a pronoun that asks about a person.
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Thewho
42-Down (5 letters), Makeup titan Elizabeth
a cosmetics founder’s surname; it is also an English forest in Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
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Arden
43-Down (4 letters), Group of Mediterranean appetizers
small plates like hummus, served before a Greek or Turkish dinner.
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Meze
45-Down (4 letters), Warning to an inattentive driver
a short horn blast.
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Toot
46-Down (4 letters), Wide mouths
the gaping jaws of a beast; plural.
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Maws
47-Down (4 letters), Retail chain whose first two letters are the first and last initials of its founder
the Swedish flat-pack furniture chain known for the Billy bookcase.
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Ikea
48-Down (4 letters), Common condo no-no
dogs and cats, which a building’s rules may ban.
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Pets
49-Down (4 letters), City east of Ithaca
also the ancient city of the wooden horse.
Show the answer
Troy

How Saturday’s grid is built

The grid has 191 letters and 34 black squares. Friday’s grid, by Aidan Deshong, had 70 clues and 30 black squares, so today’s has four fewer clues and four more black squares.

By length, the 66 entries break down this way: eight of 3 letters, 22 of 4, ten of 5, four of 6, four of 7, six of 8 and twelve of 10. No entry is longer than 10. The 10-letter entries fall into two stacks of four Across answers. 1-Across, 14-Across, 16-Across and 18-Across fill rows 1 to 4 from the left edge, and 44-Across, 51-Across, 53-Across and 55-Across fill rows 12 to 15 ending at the right edge. Four more run Down: 11-Down and 12-Down in columns 13 and 14 from the top row, and 23-Down and 24-Down in columns 2 and 3 from row 6 to the bottom. There are no 9, 11 or 12-letter entries.

With twelve 10-letter entries to fill, the rules for the daily grid are on our NYT Crossword page.

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

More of Saturday’s puzzles: Wordle hints, Connections hints, Strands hints, Spelling Bee hints and Pips hints. The smaller siblings for the same date are our Mini answers for Nov. 7 and our Midi answers for Nov. 7. Yesterday’s grid is in our Crossword answers for Nov. 6.

Today’s NYT Crossword answers (spoilers)

Stop here if you still want to solve it yourself.

Clue	Answer
1-Across	Minicooper
11-Across	Sms
14-Across	Onecanhope
15-Across	Meal
16-Across	Homeplanet
17-Across	Orso
18-Across	Snowranger
19-Across	Tete
20-Across	Rita
21-Across	Oline
23-Across	Space
25-Across	Goatfarm
28-Across	Coupe
29-Across	Apresski
30-Across	Our
31-Across	Lumet
33-Across	Les
34-Across	Treepose
37-Across	Prays
39-Across	Eggtimer
40-Across	Teems
41-Across	Rehab
42-Across	Ahas
43-Across	Mani
44-Across	Atmreceipt
50-Across	Epic
51-Across	Roadworker
52-Across	Zeus
53-Across	Dowehaveto
54-Across	Ess
55-Across	Itsnoteasy
1-Down	Mohs
2-Down	Inon
3-Down	Nemo
4-Down	Icewrap
5-Down	Caprice
6-Down	Onlate
7-Down	Ohana
8-Down	Pong
9-Down	Epee
10-Down	Retroart
11-Down	Serenaslam
12-Down	Masterkeys
13-Down	Sloe
15-Down	Motifs
22-Down	Lte
23-Down	Sourgrapes
24-Down	Puregenius
25-Down	Gamer
26-Down	Ope
27-Down	Miss
28-Down	Cote
31-Down	Lombardi
32-Down	Use
35-Down	Ethics
36-Down	Pia
37-Down	Peacoat
38-Down	Reserve
40-Down	Thewho
42-Down	Arden
43-Down	Meze
45-Down	Toot
46-Down	Maws
47-Down	Ikea
48-Down	Pets
49-Down	Troy

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 Friday, Nov. 6, 2026: Across 1 Circa, 6 Soba, 10 Edna, 14 Abetisabet, 16 Moos, 17 Sierramist, 18 Ames, 19 Tsk, 20 Pabst, 21 Siena, 22 Boba, 23 Catlady, 25 Ushers, 28 Torahs, 29 Chart, 30 Chatrooms, 33 Sonic, 34 Les, 35 Talia, 36 Doggoneit, 38 Exist, 39 Ohdear, 40 Credos, 41 Canteen, 43 Cops, 44 Arabs, 45 Clara, 47 Pre, 50 Mesa, 51 Noonecares, 53 Opec, 54 Sauerkraut, 55 Sack, 56 Alts, 57 Skype; Down 1 Cast, 2 Ibis, 3 Reek, 4 Ctr, 5 Airportcodes, 6 Samba, 7 Obis, 8 Bestcoast, 9 Att, 10 Emailhoaxes, 11 Domeasolid, 12 Noend, 13 Assay, 15 Saabs, 21 Starterpacks, 22 Berightback, 24 Art, 25 Ucsd, 26 Shoo, 27 Hangonasec, 28 Their, 30 Cleancoal, 31 Miso, 32 Sats, 37 Nee, 40 Corer, 41 Camos, 42 Arepa, 43 Canes, 46 Lout, 47 Pray, 48 Reup, 49 Este, 51 Nsa, 52 Ark. Yesterday's hints and full solution.

Frequently asked questions

Who made today's NYT Crossword?

Adrian Johnson constructed the Nov. 7, 2026 grid and Will Shortz edited it, according to the puzzle data. Friday's grid, for Nov. 6, was by Aidan Deshong.

Why does "First to seven?" have nothing to do with a race?

The clue asks about the word "seven" itself, not about counting. Take the first letter of that word; the answer is that letter's name spelled out, in three letters.

What are the NYT Crossword answers for Nov. 7, 2026?

Spoilers: Across, Minicooper, Sms, Onecanhope, Meal, Homeplanet, Orso, Snowranger, Tete, Rita, Oline, Space, Goatfarm, Coupe, Apresski, Our, Lumet, Les, Treepose, Prays, Eggtimer, Teems, Rehab, Ahas, Mani, Atmreceipt, Epic, Roadworker, Zeus, Dowehaveto, Ess, Itsnoteasy; Down, Mohs, Inon, Nemo, Icewrap, Caprice, Onlate, Ohana, Pong, Epee, Retroart, Serenaslam, Masterkeys, Sloe, Motifs, Lte, Sourgrapes, Puregenius, Gamer, Ope, Miss, Cote, Lombardi, Use, Ethics, Pia, Peacoat, Reserve, Thewho, Arden, Meze, Toot, Maws, Ikea, Pets, Troy.

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.