Cup-and-ball or yo-yo

Editorially verified for the Aug 31, 2026

39 Down

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A wooden cup-and-ball toy beside a yo-yo

Clue explained

A cup-and-ball and a yo-yo are both handheld playthings, making each a toy.

Clue type:
Example

NYT Crossword

This clue's Monday, August 31, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1Part of a dance
  2. 5Sch. with the Daily Bruin newspaper
  3. 9Slightly intoxicated
  4. 14Fancy
  5. 15Worms and such on hooks
  6. 16Be of the same mind
  7. 17Redding with two posthumous Grammys
  8. 18"Sesame Street" character who was once sung to sleep by Andrea Bocelli
  9. 19Ransacks
  10. 20One who regularly drops things
  11. 23The : English :: ___ : French
  12. 24Letter after sigma
  13. 25One dining on Friskies
  14. 28Role for Selena Gomez on "Only Murders in the Building"
  15. 31Umbrella-shaped sea creature
  16. 34Director DuVernay
  17. 35Pathetic
  18. 36Examine at length
  19. 37Took shots first, then paid for them later
  20. 40Clothing sizes for shorter women
  21. 41Ski in zigzags
  22. 42"Far out!"
  23. 43Tetra- minus one
  24. 44Newlyweds' getaway
  25. 46Owl sounds
  26. 48Actress de Armas
  27. 49401(k) relative
  28. 50"Need an ark? I Noah guy," e.g.
  29. 51"Tell everyone!" ... or what to do with the starts of 20-, 31- and 44-Across?
  30. 58Inuit for "house"
  31. 60Italian hello
  32. 61Et ___ (and others: Lat.)
  33. 62Tennis locale
  34. 63Pre-Easter observance
  35. 64R-rated, maybe
  36. 65A cube has 12 of them
  37. 66Petrol brand
  38. 67Easter egg decorating supplies

Down

  1. 1Mess maker
  2. 2Attire for the Sugar Plum Fairy
  3. 3Off-ramp
  4. 4Pulverizing tool
  5. 5Alternatives to Lyfts
  6. 6Baby whale
  7. 7In finite supply
  8. 8Lacking a musical key
  9. 9A ___ as old as time
  10. 10Composer Stravinsky
  11. 11Ham on an antipasto platter
  12. 12Solidify
  13. 13"You called?"
  14. 21Sinuous swimmer
  15. 22Swallowed hard
  16. 26Aver
  17. 27Graduate student's project
  18. 28___ P. Johnson (gay rights activist)
  19. 29Island of Arthurian legend
  20. 30Fruit-resembling mollusk
  21. 31The "one" of a one-two
  22. 32So far
  23. 33Part of the week that workers look forward to: Abbr.
  24. 35Lunch item that might be made with cold cuts, in slang
  25. 38Ginger ___
  26. 39Cup-and-ball or yo-yo
  27. 40Deep-dish vessel
  28. 42Support staff for a rock band
  29. 45Soothsayer
  30. 46Tint
  31. 47"To victory!"
  32. 50Part of an Instagram post
  33. 52Skin opening
  34. 53Goes bad
  35. 54Gets bronzed at the beach
  36. 55Brand with "anti-aging" products
  37. 56Bibimbap base
  38. 57Pages on a desk calendar
  39. 58"Rocks" at a bar
  40. 59Lead-in to forbid or forsaken

The answer to “Cup-and-ball or yo-yo” in the New York Times crossword is TOY — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 31, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 39-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.

“Cup-and-ball or yo-yo” answer

TOY (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 TOY.

What does TOY mean?

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

(noun)

  • an object for a child to play with, typically a model or miniature replica of something
  • denoting a diminutive breed or variety of dog

When else has “Cup-and-ball or yo-yo” 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.

August 31, 2026 (most recent) → TOY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Cup-and-ball or yo-yo”?

The answer is TOY, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 31, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Cup-and-ball or yo-yo”?

3 letters: TOY.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 31, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 39-Down.

Can “Cup-and-ball or yo-yo” 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 August 31, 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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