Clarifying phrase

Latest answer — October 06, 2026

3 Down

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Two speech bubbles representing someone clarifying a statement.

Clue explainedFact checked

“I mean” is a clarifying phrase: a speaker uses it to explain, refine, or correct what they just said. The grid writes the two words together as IMEAN.

Clue type:
Definition

NYT Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, October 06, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1What a leaky faucet has
  2. 5Hands, informally ... or coverings for hands
  3. 10"Not another peep out of you!"
  4. 14Classical Persian poet
  5. 15Nebraska home of Creighton University
  6. 16Between cruise ports, say
  7. 17Intl. oil group
  8. 18Like streakers
  9. 19Deep blue
  10. 20Pale and sickly
  11. 22Have an "aha" moment about
  12. 23Urged (on)
  13. 24One of six, supposedly, for a seer
  14. 25"___ Were a Rich Man"
  15. 26Rear of a boat
  16. 27Lifeless
  17. 30Who said "Revolutions are the locomotives of history"
  18. 33Video game section
  19. 34Pen points
  20. 38Number on a dating profile
  21. 39Gallops into the sunset, say
  22. 41"I've seen better"
  23. 42Attend without a date
  24. 44Sound in polka music
  25. 46Strategic disk game played on a vertical board
  26. 50Music genre for James Brown
  27. 51Device once used with a Blockbuster rental
  28. 52Mission-driven grps., often
  29. 54"___ you listening?"
  30. 55Who said "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth"
  31. 57May honoree
  32. 59Animal with a "mask"
  33. 62A step above amateur
  34. 65Peeved
  35. 66Like italic type
  36. 67With 68-Across, posable plaything ... or a verbal hint to each half of 4-, 7- and 10-Down and 46-Across
  37. 68See 67-Across

Down

  1. 1Is released, as an album
  2. 2Currency in Mumbai
  3. 3Clarifying phrase
  4. 4Interception returned for a touchdown
  5. 5Start of the workweek: Abbr.
  6. 6Saw in one's mind's eye
  7. 7Break for a few minutes
  8. 8Newspaper in New York, L.A. or Seattle, colloquially
  9. 9Bummed out
  10. 10Surf with one's toes off the front of the board
  11. 11What an electric meter measures
  12. 12Cut completely
  13. 13Joseph called "Father of the Symphony"
  14. 21Coin dated with the year of its country's imperial era
  15. 23Latin "is"
  16. 28Put in a row
  17. 29Unapproachable
  18. 30Newsstand purchase, informally
  19. 31In the past
  20. 32Feline adoption option
  21. 35Spur-of-the-moment
  22. 36Arthur of "The Golden Girls"
  23. 37"Zip it!"
  24. 39Place in a hierarchy
  25. 40Midnight's opposite
  26. 43Suffix in the names of many U.S. cities
  27. 45Starbucks keepsake, perhaps
  28. 47Hurdles or high jump, e.g.
  29. 48Loops in, digitally
  30. 49Secure tightly
  31. 50Swiss currency
  32. 53How you may feel after a workout vis-à-vis before
  33. 54Operatic solo
  34. 55Become a member of
  35. 56Subject of introspection
  36. 58Preset camera option
  37. 60___ effect (purported influence of police shows on juries' expectations for forensics)
  38. 61Yoko who participated in a bed-in
  39. 63___ tai
  40. 64Bank with a lion in its logo

The answer to “Clarifying phrase” in the New York Times crossword is IMEAN — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 6, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 3-Down. 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.

“Clarifying phrase” answer

IMEAN (5 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 IMEAN.

When else has “Clarifying phrase” 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Clarifying phrase”?

The answer is IMEAN, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 6, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Clarifying phrase”?

5 letters: IMEAN.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 6, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 3-Down.

Can “Clarifying phrase” 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 October 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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