Downfall in pinball

Latest answer — October 05, 2026

18 Across

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Clue explained

In pinball, tilting the machine can trigger a penalty and end a player’s turn, making it a downfall in the game. TILT is the warning commonly displayed when the machine has been jostled too much.

Clue type:
Definition
A pinball machine with a TILT warning illuminated on its display.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Monday, October 05, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1Write on stone, maybe
  2. 5Request at the bottom of an invitation
  3. 9Follower of Jah, informally
  4. 14"Me neither"
  5. 15Great Plains tribe
  6. 16Set of moral principles
  7. 17Famous ___ cookies
  8. 18Downfall in pinball
  9. 19Course for future therapists, for short
  10. 20Spot to work out knotted muscles
  11. 23U.F.O. occupants, in brief
  12. 24Yank
  13. 25Reach quickly, as a conclusion
  14. 29Internet meme feline
  15. 31"___ your mouth!"
  16. 33Stadium cheer
  17. 34Holiday at the end of Ramadan, informally
  18. 35Memphis barbecue staple
  19. 37Military rank above cpl.
  20. 38Tusked animals
  21. 39Squiggle shape
  22. 40Key to Aladdin's success
  23. 42___ Paulo, Brazil
  24. 43Before, poetically
  25. 44Acorn growers
  26. 45Dress seen at Oktoberfest
  27. 48Black ___ (some spiders)
  28. 50Mental cloud
  29. 51Drag performer's accessory
  30. 52"Ah, that's where things get difficult" ... or what can be said about 20-, 35- and 40-Across?
  31. 56Singer Baker
  32. 59When Fantine sings "I Dreamed a Dream" in "Les Misérables"
  33. 60Block toy with its own chain of theme parks
  34. 61Bathroom door sign
  35. 62Occasion for a teen to rent a tux
  36. 63Spot for a wolf pack
  37. 64Weapon in a scabbard
  38. 65Manager of an apt. bldg.
  39. 66Squeaks (by)

Down

  1. 1Tooth covering
  2. 2Fruit, botanically, that's treated as a vegetable
  3. 3One way to sit while meditating
  4. 4Snake's warning
  5. 5Cheap hooch
  6. 6___ Larsson, author of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
  7. 7Bygone electric Chevy
  8. 8Org. that advocates for "cruelty-free" products
  9. 9Filled to the gills
  10. 10Completely lost
  11. 11Not likely to make the first move, say
  12. 12Unconscious mannerism
  13. 13German outburst
  14. 21Slightly
  15. 22Things you might see when you're not wearing glasses
  16. 26Escape from jail
  17. 27Clickables at the top of a computer screen
  18. 28Exclamations of surprise
  19. 30Commercial lead-in to card
  20. 31Inundates with junk mail
  21. 32Musical instrument in the Guinness logo
  22. 35Luxuriate in a bathtub
  23. 36"___ Window"
  24. 37South Asian dress
  25. 38Nonchalant
  26. 40Kitten's call
  27. 41Ranch worker
  28. 42[Oh, well]
  29. 45Serve a jail sentence
  30. 46Dance craze of the 2010s
  31. 47Hercules had 12 of these
  32. 49Playful aquatic animal
  33. 50Camera lens setting
  34. 53Emulates Big Boi and Lil' Kim
  35. 54Light beige
  36. 55Woods of "Legally Blonde"
  37. 56Reactions to something adorable
  38. 57"Immediately!"
  39. 58"If you ask me ...," to a texter

The answer to “Downfall in pinball” in the New York Times crossword is TILT — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 5, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 18-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.

“Downfall in pinball” answer

TILT (4 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 TILT.

What does TILT mean?

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

(verb)

  • move or cause to move into a sloping position
  • (in jousting) thrust at with a lance or other weapon

When else has “Downfall in pinball” 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 5, 2026 (most recent) → TILT. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Downfall in pinball”?

The answer is TILT, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 5, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Downfall in pinball”?

4 letters: TILT.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 5, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 18-Across.

Can “Downfall in pinball” 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 5, 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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