"The Lord of the Rings" beast

Latest answer — July 21, 2026

56 Across

This creature is often found lurking in the shadows of Middle-earth, ready for battle! ⚔️

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

LA Times Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, July 21, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Prattles on
  2. 5Bay Area sch.
  3. 9Uninspiring
  4. 14Mapa of "Ugly Betty"
  5. 15"New Rules" and "New Love" singer Dua
  6. 16Twisted humor
  7. 17Shampoo for horses as well as humans
  8. 19Honeycomb units
  9. 20Neither partner
  10. 21Future atty.'s exam
  11. 23Southeast Asian language
  12. 24Meatless Chinese noodle dish
  13. 29Hullabaloo
  14. 30Light __ feather
  15. 31Product labels
  16. 32Private aid gp.
  17. 33Sure winner
  18. 36"The Theory of Everything" Best Actor Oscar winner
  19. 42Not asea
  20. 43Poem of praise
  21. 45Former House Speaker Nancy
  22. 48Due-in hr.
  23. 51Crank (up)
  24. 52Tender salad greens
  25. 56"The Lord of the Rings" beast
  26. 57Move for one's co., say
  27. 58Olive extract
  28. 59Capone cohort Frank
  29. 61Principal draw on fight night, or an apt title for this puzzle
  30. 66"OK, that was dishonest"
  31. 67Ritz-Carlton competitor
  32. 68Tops with frosting
  33. 69Ride a bike
  34. 70"Auld Lang __"
  35. 71Every __ and cranny

Down

  1. 1Thanksgiving tuber
  2. 2__ carte menu
  3. 3Writing tool
  4. 4All-too-public argument
  5. 5Marathons longer than 26.2 miles, familiarly
  6. 6U.S. intel org.
  7. 7Tell all, as gossip
  8. 8Untrue
  9. 9Beckham also known as Posh Spice
  10. 10"__ we there yet?"
  11. 11Wind-borne allergen
  12. 12Embedded, as tiles
  13. 13High-end vacuum cleaners
  14. 18The "N" of N.B.
  15. 22"Tuesdays With Morrie" writer Mitch
  16. 24Vehicle for movers
  17. 25Microsoft web browser
  18. 26Yummy
  19. 27Iraq port city
  20. 28Plenty of
  21. 34__ of the woods mushrooms
  22. 35More quirky
  23. 37Entryway
  24. 38Without losing one's cool
  25. 39Renée __ Goldsberry of "Girls5eva"
  26. 40Sushi seaweed
  27. 41Biblical garden
  28. 4441-Down woman
  29. 45Relating to sound
  30. 46In a creepy way
  31. 47Acid type built up during high-intensity exercise
  32. 49Nickname for Canada's $2 coin
  33. 50French friend
  34. 53"Battlestar Galactica" actor Edward James __
  35. 54Like hand soap
  36. 55Singing brother of Simon and Theodore
  37. 60No. on a resume
  38. 62Airbnb alternative
  39. 63__-friendly
  40. 64Opposite of paleo-
  41. 65Sound of disapproval

The answer to “"The Lord of the Rings" beast” in the LA Times crossword is ORC — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on July 21, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 56-Across. 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.

“"The Lord of the Rings" beast” answer

ORC (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 ORC.

Why the answer is ORC

This creature is often found lurking in the shadows of Middle-earth, ready for battle! ⚔️

What does ORC mean?

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

(noun)

  • (in fantasy literature and games) a member of an imaginary race of humanlike creatures, characterized as ugly, warlike, and malevolent

When else has “"The Lord of the Rings" beast” 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.

July 21, 2026 (most recent) → ORC. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"The Lord of the Rings" beast”?

The answer is ORC, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on July 21, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"The Lord of the Rings" beast”?

3 letters: ORC.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the LA Times crossword on July 21, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 56-Across.

Can “"The Lord of the Rings" beast” 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 July 21, 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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