Picks up the bill

Latest answer — September 12, 2026

24 Across

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Clue explained

PAYS means covers the cost, as in “pays the bill.” It is the third-person singular present form of PAY, matching the singular subject implied by “who picks up the bill.”

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A diner paying a restaurant bill

NYT Midi Crossword

This clue's Saturday, September 12, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1___ and error
  2. 6Big blowout parties
  3. 9Thai entree with wide rice noodles
  4. 11Completely wows
  5. 12Relative of a moose
  6. 13Steakhouse choices named for a letter
  7. 16Foreign helper around the house
  8. 19Jot (down)
  9. 22Country music legend Jackson
  10. 23"... or so ___ told"
  11. 24Picks up the bill
  12. 25Approximate percentage of the global population with red hair

Down

  1. 1Defrost
  2. 2Amusement park attraction
  3. 3Smudges from a leaky pen
  4. 4Commercial suffix with Power
  5. 5"This clue does not contain the letters E, L or I," e.g.
  6. 6Spot for a massage
  7. 7Nickname for a New York football team
  8. 8Black Friday enticement
  9. 10Approves
  10. 14Protective wear for a baby or a lobster eater
  11. 15Path around the sun, say
  12. 16"I need this now!"
  13. 17State sch. south of Bel Air
  14. 18:folded_hands:
  15. 20What a future attorney studies
  16. 21Genre for Taking Back Sunday

The answer to “Picks up the bill” in the New York Times Midi crossword is PAYS — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 12, 2026 at 24-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.

“Picks up the bill” answer

PAYS (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 PAYS.

What does PAYS mean?

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

(verb)

  • give (someone) money that is due for work done, goods received, or a debt incurred
  • suffer a misfortune as a consequence of an action
  • give (attention, respect, or a compliment) to (someone)

When else has “Picks up the bill” 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 12, 2026 (most recent) → PAYS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Picks up the bill”?

The answer is PAYS, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Picks up the bill”?

4 letters: PAYS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Midi crossword on September 12, 2026, at 24-Across.

Can “Picks up the bill” 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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