Daily Puzzle Solution
NYT Crossword
Monday, March 23, 2026
The New York Times crossword puzzle for Monday, March 23, 2026 features 78 clues. Today's puzzle has an average answer length of 4.8 letters. The longest answer is "EXECUTIVEBRANCH".
Total Clues
78
Longest
EXECUTIVEBRANCH
Avg Length
4.8
Shortest
PAN
Featured Clue
"Part of the federal government that includes the presidency"
15 Letters
EXECUTIVEBRANCH
ALLComplete Solution List
Mark of an old injury
4SCAR
Some Egyptian reptiles
4ASPS
Sleep in the great outdoors, say
4CAMP
"The ___ Game" (song that begins "Shirley Shirley bo-berley, bonana fanna fo-ferley"
4NAME
Smell really bad
4REEK
Reef around a lagoon
5ATOLL
Popular character actor in both "The Godfather" and "Barney Miller"
9ABEVIGODA
Expression of proportion
5RATIO
Gold seeker's tool
3PAN
Guided visit
4TOUR
They save the day
6HEROES
Viscous goo
5SLIME
Avian metaphor for a romantic couple
9LOVEBIRDS
Short-term employee, informally
4TEMP
Anger
3IRE
Two of a kind
4PAIR
Waffle House alternative
4IHOP
Divas' big moments
5ARIAS
Part of the federal government that includes the presidency
15EXECUTIVEBRANCH
Amber or myrrh
5RESIN
___ a soul (nobody at all)
4NARY
Slushy frozen treat brand
4ICEE
Bummed out
3SAD
Comfort
4EASE
Cinema lover
9MOVIEBUFF
Partners for ladies, informally
5GENTS
Works of Rossini and Bellini
6OPERAS
Running behind schedule
4LATE
Helpful hint
3TIP
Move with swagger
5STRUT
Off-putting aura ... or what 17-, 25-, 40- and 50-Across each have?
9WEIRDVIBE
Move with stealth
5SIDLE
Farmland area unit
4ACRE
Satanic
4EVIL
Must have
4NEED
Kind of terrier named after a Scottish island
4SKYE
Shade of green named after a duck
4TEAL
Sounds made with the fingers (quick!)
5SNAPS
Shadowy plotting group
5CABAL
Offerings on a hotel list
9AMENITIES
Race, as an engine
3REV
Best Picture Oscar winner set partially in Iran
4ARGO
Korean city that hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics
5SEOUL
Pascal of "The Mandalorian"
5PEDRO
Reggae-adjacent genre
3SKA
Faddish 1980s plush toy
8CAREBEAR
Company behind the game Centipede
5ATARI
___ Trend (magazine that chooses a Car of the Year annually)
5MOTOR
Worked at, as a trade
5PLIED
Profit's counterpart
4LOSS
Tabloid twosome
4ITEM
That lady
3HER
Thanks, en français
5MERCI
Onetime Dodge sports car ... or a creature to be dodged
5VIPER
Poe's "The __ and the Pendulum"
3PIT
The "p" of r.p.m.
3PER
Lumberjack's tool
3AXE
Like about 80% of Indians, religiously
5HINDU
Some reproductive cells
3OVA
Poker player's option
5RAISE
Carrot on a stick, metaphorically
9INCENTIVE
Expert pilot
3ACE
That lady
3SHE
Voted out of office
8UNSEATED
Pass on a tournament schedule
3BYE
Muscles in a six-pack
3ABS
Got older
4AGED
Carpet on a forest floor
4MOSS
Agree to accept marketing emails, say
5OPTIN
Salsa ___ (condiment that might include tomatillos and cilantro)
5VERDE
Gloating winner's proclamation
5IRULE
Tiny particle
5FLECK
Tinker Bell, for one
5FAIRY
Lower leg bone
5TIBIA
Compete in a bee
5SPELL
Home for a nest
4TREE
Used to be ...
3WAS
Animal doc
3VET