Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use

Latest answer — September 15, 2026

52 Down

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Clue explained

Q-TIPS are cotton swabs, and medical guidance commonly warns against putting them into the ear canal. The brand-style spelling normally includes a hyphen, which the grid omits.

Clue type:
Definition
A package of Q-tips cotton swabs

NYT Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, September 15, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Laffy ___, candy with a rhyming name
  2. 6Poker buy-in
  3. 10"The windows to the soul," metaphorically
  4. 14Frighten
  5. 15Villain's hideout
  6. 16American Girl toy
  7. 17Cringey ad campaign going viral, for example
  8. 19Madonna's "La ___ Bonita"
  9. 20Goes out with
  10. 21Piglet and Pooh's marsupial friend
  11. 22"Well, in that case ..."
  12. 24Clic Stic and Wite-Out brand
  13. 26Character at the heart of the "Who shot ...?" cliffhanger of 1980s TV
  14. 27Colombian cornmeal cake
  15. 29San José, ___ Rica
  16. 30Oculus Rift or Meta Quest 3
  17. 32Opposite of chaos
  18. 36Texter's "I think ..."
  19. 37Started a game of blackjack, say
  20. 3818-wheeler
  21. 39Agrees nonverbally
  22. 41Red root vegetables
  23. 44Kind of rally at high school
  24. 45Put up, as a building
  25. 47Many characters on "The Pitt"
  26. 49"Quick!"
  27. 51Group holding a nominating convention
  28. 52Scannable squares often used in place of paper menus
  29. 55___-Wan Kenobi
  30. 56Rang, as a bell
  31. 57Pooch's bark
  32. 59Paddington Bear's country of origin
  33. 63What a light bulb represents, in comics
  34. 64Puppet dragon of 1960s kids' TV
  35. 67Bottom-heavy fruit
  36. 68Britney Spears's "___! ... I Did It Again"
  37. 69Perform better than
  38. 70Daughters' brothers
  39. 71Exam
  40. 72French fries-to-be

Down

  1. 1Cough syrup amts.
  2. 2Farmland measure
  3. 3Haircut that transitions from shorter sides to longer top
  4. 4Ultimate ___ (team sport)
  5. 5Word of consent
  6. 6Too
  7. 7Grp. with a phonetic alphabet
  8. 8Cause for overtime
  9. 9Screw-ups
  10. 10Conflicts over Wikipedia content
  11. 11Mario's dinosaur sidekick
  12. 12Actress Pompeo of "Grey's Anatomy"
  13. 13Vernacular found in Urban Dictionary
  14. 18Place for coin-op game machines
  15. 23Kind of high-fat diet
  16. 25Tablet with Pro, Air and mini versions
  17. 26Scribbled (down)
  18. 27Knight's wear
  19. 28The "R" in R.I.
  20. 29The "log" in "ants on a log"
  21. 30Trellis-climbing plant
  22. 31"Light" Jedi weapons
  23. 33Railroad station
  24. 34Manicurist's filing board
  25. 35Laces (into)
  26. 40Well-educated sorts
  27. 42Fill back to capacity, as a glass
  28. 43Healing cover
  29. 46"Lose the ___, dude!"
  30. 48Causes to make a mistake
  31. 50Bit of fiery cinnamon candy
  32. 52Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use
  33. 53Cowboy contest
  34. 54Fresh from the dishwasher
  35. 57Grindr and Tinder, for two
  36. 58Sign of decay
  37. 60"___, Brute?"
  38. 61"Ant-Man" star Paul
  39. 62Sights that make you go "What the ...?!"
  40. 65___ v. Wade (1973 Supreme Court decision)
  41. 66Rejections

The answer to “Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use” in the New York Times crossword is QTIPS — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 15, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 52-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.

“Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use” answer

QTIPS (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 QTIPS.

When else has “Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use” 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.

September 15, 2026 (most recent) → QTIPS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use”?

The answer is QTIPS, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 15, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use”?

5 letters: QTIPS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 15, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 52-Down.

Can “Cotton swabs not recommended for ear canal use” 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 September 15, 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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