WSJ Crossword September 23, 2026 Answers

Across

1AGrand celebration4 5ASomething people get on their birthdays5 10ADo a quizmaster’s job3 13AHilton rival4 14ASimple question5 15ADashed off3 16ABird in hieroglyphics4 17AReady already6 18ASydney sophs’ school3 19AShed light on secret truths, literally8 21AScold harshly6 23ARiver crossing site4 24AComplain angrily, literally7 25AThey might collapse under pressure11 28A“Toodle-oo!”5 29AStart for liner or ship4 30AEnslaved princess in an 1871 work4 34AOrders at the restaurant3 35ALike many summer shoes7 38ADenial from Dumas3 39ACPR pros4 41AMountain crossing site4 42AFollow, as advice5 44AGladden, literally11 47ALike an asymmetric triangle7 50AGlum drop4 51AReservations6 52AReal swinger8 56ADecorative vase3 57AMake riskier, literally6 59AOnetime “Sign of Good Taste” advertiser4 60ATuition reducer3 61ASpur’s spiked wheel5 62AFoil alternative4 63APasture coating3 64APuts away5 65AStaycation goal4

Down

1DBe hopping mad4 2DBoth, in combinations4 3DReality check, figuratively9 4D“The sum total of things that could have been avoided,” per Adenauer7 5DFantasy baddie4 6DSchreiber of “Ray Donovan”4 7DSlides into an Insta chat3 8D55th anniversary gifts8 9DStore business6 10DAs ___ (typically)5 11DCapital about 90 miles from the Red Sea5 12DGentle cycle garments5 17DProfessorial degs.4 20DPay another’s way5 22DRae in movies4 24DMost valuable, maybe6 25DClothes line4 26DMake a bundle6 27DHobby wood5 28DMiss identification3 31DStick one’s nose in where it doesn’t belong9 32DTragic fate4 33D“Some Bright Nowhere” author Packer3 36DWorkforce vacancy8 37DStuffed to the gills5 40DBroker’s suggestion4 43D“The Reeve’s Tale” writer7 45DMadagascar mammals6 46DMount near Messina4 47DPlatoon subunit5 48DNamesake of the element with atomic number 965 49DBarq’s rival5 52D“That was close!”4 53DSinuous swimmers4 54DLuau instruments4 55DRendezvous4 58DFirst prime3