The New York Times Crossword · 17-Across · 9 letters
Dubious sighting in the night sky The New York Times Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed August 29, 2026
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Meaning cue
Use a nine-letter two-word term for a supposed extraterrestrial craft.
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Answer
Why it fits
ALIENSHIP fits because a strange light in the night sky may be dubiously reported as an extraterrestrial spacecraft. The adjective “Dubious” keeps the claim explicitly uncertain.
Continue this puzzleThey get rings for hoops →What narrows the clue
“Dubious” signals skepticism, while the night-sky setting suggests a supposed extraterrestrial craft.
Answer meaning
An alien ship is a hypothetical spacecraft attributed to extraterrestrial beings.
Where this clue appeared
17-Across in The New York Times Crossword puzzle for August 29, 2026.
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