{"id":2106,"date":"2026-01-23T05:20:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/?p=2106"},"modified":"2026-01-23T05:20:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:20:52","slug":"nyt-crossword-analysis-jan-23-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/nyt-crossword-analysis-jan-23-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"NYT Crossword Analysis (Jan 23, 2026): Time for Some Tricks!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is Friday and as you know, themes are not in the grid to guide you today. However, this doesn\u2019t mean that the NYT Crossword for Jan 23 is void of tricks. In fact, today\u2019s puzzle contains some highly interesting riddles with clever wordplay and double meanings. Think of this as a perfect warm-up for tomorrow\u2019s Saturday puzzle, which is sure to be a monster!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s start with 6-Down: \u201cSome body-builders.\u201d No, the answer is not what you think. First of all, don\u2019t read between the lines, just look at it as a straight sentence. What are the builders of the body? I know it is hard, the answer is GENES<\/strong>. This is exactly the kind of Friday misdirection I was talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another nice example of these wordplays is 32A: \u201cMasters of manipulation.\u201d You may think of something vicious. But the answer can be any one of us. Be prepared for another tricky answer: USERS<\/strong>. It seems we are all masters of manipulation when we sit at a keyboard, hopefully in a good way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, 51-Across is the star of the show. The question is: \u201cOut of joint.\u201d At first, I was thinking about joints in body and some medical solutions. However, after some minutes, the reality struck me like thunder; it is Friday and the answer should be tricky. Then, with some help, I reached the answer: FREE<\/strong>. What I was missing was the fact that joint is a slang term for jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

41-Down is one of those sad clues which may remind you of your hard days: \u201cThey make streaks on cheeks.\u201d Whether you\u2019ve had a rough day at work or are remembering a lost loved one, we\u2019ve all felt that moisture on our skin. That\u2019s right: TEARS<\/strong>. If you are feeling them today, let them be; you will be alright. Trust me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may also like: NYT Crossword Analysis (Jan 22, 2026): Rebus and Nothing Else Matters!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fridays are all about the aha! moment. Which clue had you scratching your head the longest today? Was it the joint slang, or did the body-builders get you? Let\u2019s compare notes in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need the answers for daily crossword puzzles like the NYT Crossword<\/a> or the NYT Mini<\/a>, make sure to check Daze Puzzle<\/a> every day to find the solutions you need in record time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is Friday and as you know, themes are not in the grid to guide you today. However, this doesn\u2019t mean that the NYT Crossword for Jan 23 is void of tricks. In fact, today\u2019s puzzle contains some highly interesting riddles with clever wordplay and double meanings. Think of this as a perfect warm-up for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crossword-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2106\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}