USA Today Crossword October 23, 2026 Answers

Across

1AChitchat3 4ADoc with an otoscope3 7AScandalous ending?4 11A"You & I" singer Rita3 12A"___ rue the day!"5 15ASpoken4 16APlace for sardines3 17AThink highly of6 19ARecycling centers?4 20AAnnual pilgrimage to Mecca4 22AIt's the absolute worst10 24ASmall, plumlike fruit4 25AHalf of a huge cost?3 26ANote between fa and la3 27ARoll of cash3 29A"That's well within our abilities!"8 34AJigsaw puzzle part5 36A"The Tell-Tale Heart" author3 37AFundraising event, maybe4 38ADoes more than just tear up5 39AWord after "top" or "perfect"3 40AUnserious5 41AOctober birthstone4 42APlace to go in London?3 43ACozy hotel amenities5 44APlace to begin a mountain ascent8 46ADwindle3 47AA driving need for some people3 48AAbbr. in many company names3 50AResearch sites4 54AFeature activated by holding down a computer key10 58AThe "grand slam" of showbiz awards, for short4 59ANot looking good4 60ACute little crawler6 62AImitate3 63AFairy tale monster4 64AGoes through someone's stuff6 65A"C'est la ___!"3 66A"Come on!"4 67ADrink served by the Mad Hatter3 68AInfo at JFK or LAX3

Down

1DThey wear black clothing and heavy eyeliner5 2DPopular font5 3DInstrument in a bluegrass band5 4DHurricane's calm spot3 5D"I don't mean to insult anyone . . ."7 6DPrivate teacher5 7DFowl language?12 8DDiva's performance4 9DSharp taste4 10DInstead4 13DMoses' plea to Pharaoh13 14DHalf of a huge cost?3 18DEn ___5 21DGroundbreaking writer and activist who cofounded GLAAD12 23DPart of a seating assignment3 28DThey help beat the heat (Abbr.)3 30DReal long time3 31DCandle holder?4 32DPub offerings4 33DVote against3 34DSmurf with a red hat4 35D"As ___ saying . . ."4 38DFloat up and down3 39D"The Odyssey" star Holland3 40DTask3 42DLight show components6 43DBureaucratic obstacle7 45DTrain segment3 49DFortuneteller's deck5 51DTequila plant5 52DToy that shouts commands at players5 53DTrusty mount5 54DIn awe4 55DHankering4 56DGrow weary4 57D"How do aliens organize a party? They planet," e.g.3 61DAirport safety org.3