NYT Crossword October 2, 2026 Answers

Across

1A Important figure on staff? 4 5A Photographer's inits. 3 8A "For real" 5 13A Funky-smelling 4 14A Sugar substitute? 10 16A Within 4 17A Core-focused workout in a humid room 10 18A Unit of sound intensity 3 19A Like Mitt Romney and Ken Jennings 6 20A Lead-in to "coin" for a major cryptocurrency 4 21A "Whew!" 8 23A Whose fault your mistake might be 6 25A Hybrid cat 5 26A Member of a noble family 5 28A Request after eating a habanero, perhaps 4 29A What comes from needing little, per Epictetus 6 31A Small dosage amts. 3 34A Question posed at the end of a successful job interview 15 37A Waze ways: Abbr. 3 38A Spends a long time in front of the mirror, maybe 6 39A Inkling 4 40A Word with cane or corn 5 41A Villainous expression 5 42A Home to the Basilica of St. Clare 6 45A Highly controlling? 8 48A Like a golf course, regularly 4 49A Snap, crackle and pop 6 51A ___ Cup, tournament established in the 2020s 3 52A "Never been better!" 10 54A Site of a 1956 international conflict 4 55A Animal chased by Toto in "The Wizard of Oz" 10 56A Key in a chain 4 57A Figure with three faces, in Dante 5 58A Brief bit 3 59A They're stretched out before some workouts 4

Down

1D Hard-shelled delicacies 9 2D Public eye 9 3D Written posts? 9 4D Stoked 3 5D Like some enemies 5 6D "I need to get a word in!" 15 7D Possible result of a default 4 8D Before 3 9D Not stop at the end of a chapter, say 6 10D Suffragist Harriet Taylor ___ 5 11D One doing the lord's work? 5 12D Words of affirmation 5 14D "Skedaddle!" 4 15D Condition that can be caused by excess earwax 8 19D Debussy's "La ___" 3 22D Jay ___, singer of the 2009 #1 hit "Down" 4 24D Sounds from fans 4 27D Clip follower 4 29D Some weather service messages 8 30D "Wheat Capital" of Oklahoma 4 31D Label on some domestic products 9 32D Eco-friendly area around a city 9 33D Stares into space 9 35D Ones doing balancing acts? 4 36D Windows feature? 4 40D Pictures 6 41D Message that might be signaled with smoke 3 42D Off 5 43D European capital with layers of Thracian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history 5 44D Beads for an athlete 5 46D Director Lee ___ Chung 5 47D Neighbor of an Estonian, historically 4 50D They're sometimes picked for their rarity 4 53D Wiseman who directed "Ballerina" and "Live Free or Die Hard" 3 54D ___City 3