Doesn't feel so hot

Editorially verified for the Sep 25, 2026

17 Across

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A person appearing unwell and holding their forehead

Clue explained

“Doesn’t feel so hot” means “ails,” or is unwell. AILS is the third-person singular present-tense verb form, as in “She ails.”

Clue type:
Definition

NYT Midi Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 25, 2026 appearance

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Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1A good one may come to you in the shower
  2. 5Sport in an octagon, in brief
  3. 8Tater ___
  4. 9French ___
  5. 11Cole ___
  6. 12Baked ___
  7. 13Twist the truth
  8. 14Tech giant led by Arvind Krishna
  9. 15Drug also called acid
  10. 17Doesn't feel so hot
  11. 20Unnecessary item for solving a digital-only crossword
  12. 22Industrial-sized container
  13. 23Parallel ... or a description of the sets of shaded answers in this puzzle (in two ways!)
  14. 27Grandma's brother
  15. 28Industrial-sized containers
  16. 29Unwelcome look

Down

  1. 1The "I" of T.G.I.F.
  2. 2Cabbage Patch Kid, e.g.
  3. 3Online commerce
  4. 4This very second
  5. 5Classic '80s cop show set in Florida
  6. 6All Supreme Court justices until 1981
  7. 7Animal that brays
  8. 9Org. featured on Netflix's "Mindhunter"
  9. 10Country music star McEntire
  10. 16Unpaid bills, essentially
  11. 18Soup scooper
  12. 19Take the wheel
  13. 21Big sch. in the Big Apple
  14. 23Drill instructor's rank: Abbr.
  15. 24Lyricist Gershwin
  16. 25TV room
  17. 26Big TV show filmed in the Big Apple, for short

The answer to “Doesn't feel so hot” in the New York Times Midi crossword is AILS — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 25, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 17-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.

“Doesn't feel so hot” answer

AILS (4 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 AILS.

What does AILS mean?

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

(verb)

  • trouble or afflict (someone) in mind or body

When else has “Doesn't feel so hot” 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.

September 25, 2026 (most recent) → AILS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Doesn't feel so hot”?

The answer is AILS, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 25, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Doesn't feel so hot”?

4 letters: AILS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 25, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 17-Across.

Can “Doesn't feel so hot” 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 this day's NYT Midi answers?

The full grid for September 25, 2026 is on the NYT Midi answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

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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