Fossil-preserving gunk

Editorially verified for the Aug 20, 2026

5 Down

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Sticky tar surrounding a fossil at a tar pit

Clue explained

TAR is the sticky black substance that can seep into and coat fossils, helping preserve them in some deposits.

Clue type:
Definition

LA Times Crossword

This clue's Thursday, August 20, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Error
  2. 8Radio static sound
  3. 15Do the same as
  4. 16Peaceful getaway spot
  5. 17Hard stuff in rings
  6. 19"You said it!"
  7. 20Ignited
  8. 21Small floral bundle
  9. 22Robin Hood foe
  10. 26Hard stuff in school
  11. 32Gets even with
  12. 33Relativity, for one
  13. 35Bucks and does
  14. 36Org. that oversees food recalls
  15. 39Half a sextet
  16. 40Hard stuff in a bar
  17. 45Utterly exhausted
  18. 46"How amusing"
  19. 49__ culpa
  20. 50Marina __ Rey, California
  21. 51Proper
  22. 54Fuming
  23. 56Nocturnal flapper
  24. 58Word with circle and tube
  25. 60Hard stuff for a sweet tooth
  26. 63Doesn't just assume
  27. 64Licoricelike herb
  28. 65Ore-rich vein
  29. 66Appliance alert
  30. 67Numbers for letters
  31. 68Tollbooth pricing unit

Down

  1. 1Sports analyst Kimes
  2. 2Mosque leader
  3. 3Place
  4. 4Leave speechless
  5. 5Fossil-preserving gunk
  6. 6Unreliable stat from the fashionably late
  7. 7Bit of hamster food
  8. 8One who always gives star treatment?
  9. 9Belfast-born actor Stephen
  10. 10Bread machine
  11. 11Trim, as a photo
  12. 12Casino game
  13. 13Boyos
  14. 14Marketplace with personalized gifts
  15. 18NNE, SSW, etc.
  16. 22Contrail location
  17. 23Bucks, but not does
  18. 24In shape
  19. 25Dismissive syllable
  20. 26Bit of fishing gear
  21. 27Well-financed gp.?
  22. 28Chocolate substitute
  23. 29Online access username within universities, briefly
  24. 30Grain ground to make masa
  25. 31"The Devil in the White City" writer Larson
  26. 32Nutritional amt.
  27. 34Casual hellos
  28. 36Flowering plant once believed to repel pests
  29. 37E, in Morse code
  30. 38Rigorous evaluation
  31. 41Big hit at the ballpark
  32. 42Unspecified person
  33. 43Hip-hop pioneer Dr. __
  34. 44Thing of the past
  35. 46Muslim headscarf
  36. 47Create a clean slate?
  37. 48Ethan of the "Before" trilogy
  38. 51Secondary structure
  39. 52"Bike faster!"
  40. 53Defiant response to a threat
  41. 55Ingredient meas.
  42. 57Similar (to)
  43. 59Mars rover org.
  44. 61"My conscience whispers in your __": "King John"
  45. 62High or low follower, in graphics

The answer to “Fossil-preserving gunk” in the LA Times crossword is TAR — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on August 20, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 5-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.

“Fossil-preserving gunk” answer

TAR (3 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 TAR.

What does TAR mean?

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

(noun)

  • a dark, thick flammable liquid distilled from wood or coal, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons, resins, alcohols, and other compounds. It is used in road-making and for coating and preserving timber

When else has “Fossil-preserving gunk” 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 20, 2026 (most recent) → TAR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Fossil-preserving gunk”?

The answer is TAR, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on August 20, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Fossil-preserving gunk”?

3 letters: TAR.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the LA Times crossword on August 20, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 5-Down.

Can “Fossil-preserving gunk” 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 20, 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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