NYT Midi Crossword · 17-Across · 7 letters
Skill no longer widely used ... or, when parsed differently, a hint to 13-, 15- and 17-Across? NYT Midi Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed September 28, 2026
Answer · 7 letters
LOST ART
In the grid: LOSTART · no spaces
LOSTART fills the grid as LOST ART without a space. It answers the opening definition directly, while the instruction to parse it differently signals that the entry also acts as a theme revealer: read as LOST + ART, it tells the solver to look for ART that has been displaced or hidden in the referenced Across answers.
Different crossing letters? Check another fit →Solve the definition before the theme instruction
The first part is a normal definition: a once-common ability that has faded from everyday use is a LOST ART. Crossword grids omit spaces, so the seven cells take LOSTART even though the familiar expression is written as two words.
Reparse LOST ART as a revealer
The second half explicitly asks for a different parsing. LOST + ART turns the answer into an instruction about the referenced theme entries: ART is no longer where an ordinary reading would lead you to expect it. That double duty is why a plain synonym for skill would not finish the clue.
References behind this explanation
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Where this clue appeared
17-Across in NYT Midi Crossword puzzle for September 28, 2026.
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