Deftly evades

Editorially verified for the Aug 29, 2026

57 Across

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A person stepping sideways to avoid an obstacle.

Clue explained

SIDESTEPS is the third-person singular verb meaning deftly evades, as when someone moves aside to avoid an obstacle or avoids an issue.

Clue type:
Definition

NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, August 29, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Main characters for an early reader
  2. 5They get rings for hoops
  3. 14Skin-care brand known for its pore strips
  4. 15Large restaurant vessel shaped like another vessel
  5. 16Conference handout
  6. 17Dubious sighting in the night sky
  7. 18Started to boil
  8. 20Work, as a joke
  9. 21Romance author Huang
  10. 22They might be rehabbed with knee flexion
  11. 23His #33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003
  12. 25Winner of the 2025 Outstanding Drama Series Emmy, with "The"
  13. 26Personne canonisée: Abbr.
  14. 27___ Capital, investment firm co-founded by Mitt Romney
  15. 28Hits the mark, in a way
  16. 29Many people climb it
  17. 33Naturally concluded
  18. 35Ones giving a toast at an outdoor party?
  19. 37Court session, perhaps
  20. 39Like much of Libya
  21. 41Depicting the world bleakly and cynically
  22. 42Put your back into it
  23. 43"Sweet dreams are made of cheese / Who am I to dis a ___?" (parody lyrics)
  24. 44Is immersed
  25. 46Fair trade, say
  26. 47"It is not easy for a ___ to balance himself on a ladder": "Animal Farm"
  27. 48A word in closing
  28. 49Relative of house music
  29. 51Inverse of an exponential function
  30. 54Vikings' offense?
  31. 55What a supposed bug is often revealed to be
  32. 56Grant
  33. 57Deftly evades
  34. 58Come off as

Down

  1. 1Nonhuman provider of medical advice
  2. 2Neck topper
  3. 3Shoves (in)
  4. 4Sonic system
  5. 5Org. featured in 1998's "Enemy of the State"
  6. 6Breaking character?
  7. 7Like parts of Istanbul
  8. 8Common Chinese surname
  9. 9___ legs
  10. 10Stability aids, informally
  11. 11Soft, silky material
  12. 12Depicts stylishly
  13. 13Green day star, for short
  14. 14Humongous, slangily
  15. 19Stocked and sold, as goods
  16. 24August ___, "Fences" playwright
  17. 25Makes sense of
  18. 27Deliberately exasperated
  19. 28More sassy
  20. 30Indecisive way to end
  21. 31Gets by
  22. 32Binary, in a way
  23. 34Former
  24. 36"Wow ... what are the chances?!"
  25. 38Publisher of the front-page headline "This sport is stupid anyway" after a U.S. loss at the World Cup, in brief
  26. 39Half-spoken, half-sung passages of an opera
  27. 40Not fair
  28. 43Nearly 90
  29. 44It goes on top
  30. 45Shockingly unconventional
  31. 46Stepped-on instrument
  32. 48"___ chic!"
  33. 50Time divisions
  34. 52"___ You That Somebody?" (1998 Aaliyah hit)
  35. 53Half of a couple

The answer to “Deftly evades” in the New York Times crossword is SIDESTEPS — a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 29, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 57-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.

“Deftly evades” answer

SIDESTEPS (9 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 SIDESTEPS.

What does SIDESTEPS mean?

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

(verb)

  • avoid (someone or something) by stepping sideways

When else has “Deftly evades” 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 29, 2026 (most recent) → SIDESTEPS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Deftly evades”?

The answer is SIDESTEPS, a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 29, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Deftly evades”?

9 letters: SIDESTEPS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 29, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 57-Across.

Can “Deftly evades” 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 29, 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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