9-letter answer to “Let go of unrealistic expectations,” e.g. in NYT Crossword October 23 2026 is DATINGTIP
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The clue tells you the shape of the answer
- An abbreviated answer gets signalled in the clue, either by an abbreviation, an “Abbr.” tag, or a phrase like “for short” or “briefly.”
- A question mark at the end means wordplay, not a definition.
- Quotation marks usually mean somebody says it out loud, unless the clue names a title.
- Square brackets usually mean the answer is a sound or a gesture rather than words.
- Tense, number and degree always agree.
The day of the week is a difficulty setting
Monday is nearly literal. Puns arrive Wednesday. Thursday is the trick day, where rebus squares hold several letters in one box. Friday and Saturday are almost always themeless and wide open, with Saturday the hardest of the week.
Sunday confuses people. At 21×21 it’s nearly twice the area of a weekday grid, but it’s edited to roughly Wednesday or Thursday difficulty. Long isn’t the same as hard.
