Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party

Latest answer — April 13, 2026

23 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

NYT Midi Crossword

This clue's Monday, April 13, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Probing boxing punch
  2. 4___ vu (eerily familiar feeling)
  3. 8Radio journalist Shapiro
  4. 9GREEN ___ (SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER)
  5. 10Pack animal of the Himalayas
  6. 11Put up with
  7. 12___ BABIES (FAD TOYS IN THE 1990S)
  8. 14Sound of a water balloon hitting the ground
  9. 15What 9- and 12-Across are, collectively (in two ways!)
  10. 19April 13th, for one
  11. 21Trojan War hero whose name would total 18 points in Scrabble (if it were a legal word)
  12. 22Sore all over
  13. 23Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party
  14. 24Clutter
  15. 25Sketched

Down

  1. 1Blue-winged bird
  2. 2Many Omanis and Yemenis
  3. 3Trails dedicated to cyclists
  4. 4Visa or Discover offering
  5. 5One of the Great Lakes
  6. 6"The West Wing" president Bartlet
  7. 7Had a nosh
  8. 9Hackneyed
  9. 13Back streets
  10. 16Slightly open, as a door
  11. 17Contact via a P.A. system, say
  12. 18Annual Austin multimedia festival, in brief
  13. 19Beaver's construction
  14. 20___ up one's sleeve

The answer to “Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party” in the New York Times Midi crossword is RAGS — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on April 13, 2026 at 23-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.

“Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party” answer

RAGS (4 letters)

Use the reveal tiles above to uncover the solution one letter at a time if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Prefer the full answer straight away? It's RAGS.

Why the answer is RAGS

RAGS is the 4-letter solution that fits "Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party" in the NYT Midi crossword on April 13, 2026 (23-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does RAGS mean?

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

(verb)

  • give a decorative effect to (a painted surface) by applying paint, typically of a different colour, with a rag

When else has “Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party” appeared?

New York Times Midi 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.

April 13, 2026 (most recent) → RAGS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party”?

The answer is RAGS, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on April 13, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party”?

4 letters: RAGS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Midi crossword on April 13, 2026, at 23-Across.

Can “Bad things to use as hand towels at a fancy dinner party” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Midi 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 today's NYT Midi answers?

Every clue and answer from that day's puzzle is linked above, and the full grid is on the NYT Midi answers page.

New York Times Midi Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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