Early anesthetic

Latest answer — August 10, 2026

53 Down

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Clue explained

ETHER was an early anesthetic used in surgery before safer modern anesthetics became standard. The clue refers to its historical medical use.

Clue type:
Definition
A historical medical bottle labeled ether.

LA Times Crossword

This clue's Monday, August 10, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Train for a boxing match
  2. 5Love deeply
  3. 10Follow directions
  4. 14"Beloved" novelist Morrison
  5. 15Kitchen gadget for apples
  6. 16Locale
  7. 17Bygone GM division
  8. 18"Understood"
  9. 19Prize grabber in an arcade game
  10. 20Formal event attended in costume
  11. 23Like a parent at graduation
  12. 24"Man of Steel" director Zack
  13. 25Geological span
  14. 27Scissors sound
  15. 30Wimbledon org.
  16. 33Last film starring Daniel Craig as James Bond
  17. 39Cardamom-infused tea
  18. 41Subscribe again
  19. 42Turn down
  20. 43Official record on a ship
  21. 46Broke bread
  22. 47Trace of smoke
  23. 48Baby goat
  24. 50Humiliated
  25. 55Walkie-talkie, e.g.
  26. 59Call for action, or what one might say before using the ends of 20-, 33-, and 43-Across
  27. 62College admissions office offering
  28. 63Garden pest
  29. 64Hideout
  30. 65Bilingual cartoon explorer
  31. 66Kitchen gadget for flour
  32. 67Poker buy-in
  33. 68"Don't come any closer!"
  34. 69Cuts (down)
  35. 70Talk back to

Down

  1. 1Tread heavily
  2. 2__ opposites
  3. 3"Consequently ... "
  4. 4Racy
  5. 5Zoning unit
  6. 6Opportunities, metaphorically
  7. 7Church instrument with pipes
  8. 8Like the sound of an oboe
  9. 9Made a blunder
  10. 10Nomination from the Academy
  11. 11Bar tab, e.g.
  12. 12List-shortening abbr.
  13. 13Source of some flexible wood
  14. 21Thick Japanese noodle
  15. 22Breezy email sign-off
  16. 26Sushi wrapper
  17. 28Brainchild
  18. 29Ice cream purchase
  19. 30UNC's athletic gp.
  20. 31Defrost
  21. 32Big __: David Ortiz nickname
  22. 34Perfect score in diving, or half a score
  23. 35Connections
  24. 36EGOT-winning Brooks
  25. 37Furry "Star Wars" creature
  26. 38Potato spot
  27. 40"We've been duped!"
  28. 44Emer. alerts
  29. 45"You go, __!"
  30. 49Texas city known as "Big D"
  31. 51Audibly shocked
  32. 52Vintage photo tone
  33. 53Early anesthetic
  34. 54Motivation
  35. 56Taurasi who holds the WNBA record for career points
  36. 57Monogram pts.
  37. 58Fairy tale baddies
  38. 59Stolen goods
  39. 60Capital of France?
  40. 61Poems of tribute
  41. 62QB stats

The answer to “Early anesthetic” in the LA Times crossword is ETHER — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on August 10, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 53-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Early anesthetic” answer

ETHER (5 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is ETHER.

What does ETHER mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of ETHER is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a pleasant-smelling colourless volatile liquid that is highly flammable. It is used as an anaesthetic and as a solvent or intermediate in industrial processes
  • the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds
  • a very rarefied and highly elastic substance formerly believed to permeate all space, including the interstices between the particles of matter, and to be the medium whose vibrations constituted light and other electromagnetic radiation

When else has “Early anesthetic” appeared?

LA Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

August 10, 2026 (most recent) → ETHER. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Early anesthetic”?

The answer is ETHER, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on August 10, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Early anesthetic”?

5 letters: ETHER.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the LA Times crossword on August 10, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 53-Down.

Can “Early anesthetic” have a different answer?

Yes — LA Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's LA Times answers?

The full grid for August 10, 2026 is on the LA Times answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

LA Times Crossword is published by Los Angeles Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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