A different practice route each day

Clue Clinic · August 31, 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.

14 meaning warm-up · 10 language tricks · 2 short forms · 4 knowledge clues

Meaning warm-up

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

14 clues
01
Crossword clue · 4 letters

Quaint term for a boyfriend, from the French

Meaning cue

Use the four-letter French word that entered English for a male admirer.

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10
Crossword clue · 14 letters

Avian scavengers with red heads

Meaning cue

Name the 14-letter plural bird whose first word is also a holiday fowl.

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11
Crossword clue · 5 letters

Extract, as minerals from soil

Meaning cue

Use a five-letter verb for washing a soluble substance out of material.

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12
Crossword clue · 5 letters

Secretly included on an email

Meaning cue

Turn the three-letter blind-copy field into a five-letter past-tense verb.

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13
Crossword clue · 5 letters

Screen found in many a living room, or what 16-, 29-, 49-, and 63-Across can be called

Meaning cue

Use a five-letter two-word name for a television receiver, entered without a space.

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Language tricks

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

10 clues

Short forms

Abbreviations, informal usage, and compact entries whose form is part of the solve.

2 clues

Knowledge clues

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

4 clues