A different practice route each day

Clue Clinic · August 22, 2026

Today's set is organized by how each clue works, with the largest round focused on meaning warm-up. Reveal any answer immediately or use its tailored cue first.

12 meaning warm-up · 7 language tricks · 1 knowledge clues

Meaning warm-up

Direct definitions and familiar senses to establish the day's solving rhythm.

12 clues
01
Crossword clue · 4 letters

Leader in a robe called a kasaya

Meaning cue

Think of a four-letter title for a Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher.

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02
Crossword clue · 7 letters

Gets right down to business

Meaning cue

Think of a seven-letter two-word expression for starting immediately and enthusiastically.

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03
Crossword clue · 10 letters

Dish such as Germany's hasenpfeffer

Meaning cue

Translate the unfamiliar dish into a familiar ten-letter meat-and-liquid preparation.

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04
Crossword clue · 9 letters

Some malty offerings

Meaning cue

Look for a two-word plural beer style that occupies nine squares without its space.

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05
Crossword clue · 7 letters

Japanese for "folding paper"

Meaning cue

Name the seven-letter Japanese art that turns a sheet into shapes without cutting it.

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06
Crossword clue · 10 letters

Like someone who unplugs completely

Meaning cue

Use a ten-letter three-word phrase for living outside normal utility and communication networks.

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07
Crossword clue · 10 letters

Beset by impossible circumstances

Meaning cue

Look for a ten-letter Latin-derived phrase beginning with IN and meaning at the utmost limit.

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08
Crossword clue · 9 letters

Jargon in a video game chat, maybe

Meaning cue

Think of a nine-letter online style whose name is often rendered with the digits 1337.

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09
Crossword clue · 12 letters

Hints that help decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar word

Meaning cue

Think of the two-word classroom term for evidence found in the sentences surrounding an unknown word.

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11
Crossword clue · 5 letters

Stuffed cornmeal cake

Meaning cue

Name the five-letter Venezuelan and Colombian corn cake commonly split for fillings.

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12
Crossword clue · 13 letters

Some transformations

Meaning cue

Use a thirteen-letter two-word plural term for how fictional people change across a story.

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Language tricks

Punctuation, double meanings, and clue turns that reward a second look.

7 clues

Knowledge clues

Names, titles, places, and facts where one precise detail confirms the fill.

1 clue
20
Name or title · 6 letters

First poet to perform at the Super Bowl

Identity cue

The six-letter surname belongs to the poet who also read at the 2021 U.S. presidential inauguration.

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