The New York Times Crossword · 10-Across · 4 letters
Private sleeping accommodations? The New York Times Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed August 19, 2026
Decode the turn
Reveal the answer now—or spot the trick first.
What to notice
Read “private” as a military rank and think of barracks beds.
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Answer
How the trick resolves
The question mark turns “private” into a military noun: an enlisted private may sleep on a COT. Because the clue asks for plural accommodations, the grid answer is COTS.
Continue this puzzleWipe from one’s memory, so to speak →The turn in the clue
The question mark warns that “private” is a rank, not a description of privacy.
The answer in plain English
Simple narrow beds of the kind used in barracks, camps, or temporary quarters.
Where this clue appeared
10-Across in The New York Times Crossword puzzle for August 19, 2026.
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