Apply gently

Latest answer — January 06, 2026

63 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, January 06, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Lt. ___, communications officer on the original "Star Trek"
  2. 6Letter between rho and tau
  3. 11N.H.L. tiebreakers
  4. 14Allow to attack
  5. 15Epic that ends "Such was the funeral of Hector, tamer of horses"
  6. 16Prefix with liberal
  7. 17With 59-Across, "This is beyond a doubt" ... or a punny hint to 24-, 38- and 49-Across
  8. 19Online chats, in brief
  9. 20Nickname for Rihanna
  10. 21Tummy muscles
  11. 22Drug used to treat Parkinson's
  12. 24The only person to have the opinion
  13. 28Criticize harshly
  14. 29Unpleasant smells
  15. 30Temporary state
  16. 34Bread for a ham sandwich
  17. 35Its products often include wordless assembly instructions
  18. 38Contrast
  19. 42One-named supermodel
  20. 43GQ or Cosmo
  21. 44Singer/dancer/actor ___ Osmond
  22. 45Burton of "Star Trek: T.N.G."
  23. 47Fruity drink
  24. 49Thing bound to end in failure
  25. 55Search for water, in a way
  26. 56Racial justice movement, for short
  27. 57Analyst/ex-QB Tony ___
  28. 58Splendid serve
  29. 59See 17-Across
  30. 63Apply gently
  31. 64Succulents that soothe
  32. 65Exams for future docs
  33. 66P.D. alert
  34. 67Daredevil's deed
  35. 68Painter's plaster

Down

  1. 1The "U" in UHF
  2. 2Pronoun pair
  3. 3Amniocentesis targets
  4. 4___ to go (stoked)
  5. 5Broke bread
  6. 6Penalty box, in hockey lingo
  7. 7Also-ran's remark
  8. 8"Am-scray!"
  9. 9Gullet
  10. 10One-named Cuban-born designer who fashioned Nancy Reagan's red outfits
  11. 11Thin paper
  12. 12Phoenix neighbor
  13. 13"Slammin' Sammy" of baseball
  14. 18Poet Teasdale who won a Pulitzer for her volume "Love Songs"
  15. 23Spicy Sweet Chili chip
  16. 25Dentist's directive
  17. 26Toy that might "walk the dog"
  18. 27Keats creations
  19. 30Tire inflation meas.
  20. 31Bottom line?
  21. 32In short supply, as energy
  22. 33Muscle-bone connectors
  23. 34D&D;, e.g.
  24. 36Forever and a day
  25. 37To some extent
  26. 39Country in which men traditionally wear robes called dishdashas
  27. 40Links numbers
  28. 41It comes to mind
  29. 46Consider
  30. 47"Finally!"
  31. 48___ luck
  32. 49"For real!," in modern slang
  33. 50"Ghosts" playwright Henrik
  34. 51Cease-fire
  35. 52Minute amounts
  36. 53Drops
  37. 54"Au contraire!"
  38. 55Art pioneered by Arp
  39. 60Key known as "Option" on a Mac
  40. 61"That means ___!"
  41. 62"Srsly?!"

The answer to “Apply gently” in the New York Times crossword is DAB — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on January 6, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 63-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.

“Apply gently” answer

DAB (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 DAB.

Why the answer is DAB

DAB is the 3-letter solution that fits "Apply gently" in the NYT Crossword crossword on January 6, 2026 (63-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does DAB mean?

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

(verb)

  • press against (something) lightly several times with a piece of absorbent material in order to clean or dry it or to apply a substance
  • strike with a light blow

When else has “Apply gently” appeared?

New York 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.

January 6, 2026 (most recent) → DAB. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Apply gently”?

The answer is DAB, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on January 6, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Apply gently”?

3 letters: DAB.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on January 6, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 63-Across.

Can “Apply gently” have a different answer?

Yes — New York 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 NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for January 6, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times 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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