It is Wednesday and the NYT Crossword is getting more difficult; themes are more creative and you should put more effort in solving the puzzle. But don’t worry. I’m here to help you by analyzing today’s crossword. Let’s get to this puzzle which is a bridge to harder ones!
The First obvious theme of NYT Crossword of Jan. 14 2026 is related to a musician who is considered as one of the influential figures of Musical Theater. One Pulitzer Prize, one Academy Award and eight Grammy Awards is just part of his successful career.
The question of 60-Across is Pulitzer-winning composer and lyricist of “Sunday in the Park with George”. The answer is STEPHENSONDHEIM. It is really great to see that NYT pays tribute to towering names in the world of art.
While we are still in the mood of musical theater, let me review question 17-Across: “Sunday in the Park with George,” for one. Just think about theater: what comes to your mind? Bravo, Broadway. What was the profession of Mr. Sondheim? Exactly: musical composer. Now mix Broadway with music. We have BROADWAYMUSICAL.
Mr. Sondheim also composed memorable scores for movies like Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd. His great works will have an everlasting presence in our musical memory. Stephen Sondheim is truly the most important theme of NYT Crossword Jan 14.
As I mentioned earlier, Wednesday’s puzzle is a gate to a harder mode of NYT Crossword. In this regard, join me to review two tricky clues of today’s puzzle. Are you ready? Let’s do it!
Section 6-Across (Fashion name that’s become slang for “excellent”) reminds us of a slang term that is obsolete nowadays. However, it won’t hurt to expand our knowledge of slang. GUCCI is a known name in the world of fashion, but do you know that it is a slang for word excellent? For example, 14 years ago, people used to say it is Gucci!
Question 1-Down is another example of obsolete term. The riddle is Old sunscreen initialism. It is just a 4-letter answer, but I understand it may be a little hard. Therefore, let me give you the answer: PABA or para-aminobenzoic acid, a substance used for making sunscreens.
Loved the Sondheim tribute, but Gucci as slang for excellent feels like a lifetime ago! What was your favorite (or least favorite) clue today? Drop a comment below!
If you need the answers for daily crossword puzzles like the NYT Crossword or the NYT Mini, make sure to check Daze Puzzle every day to find the solutions you need in record time.
