"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"

Latest answer — October 10, 2026

24 Across

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A boxer in the ring, evoking the famous butterfly-and-bee similes associated with Muhammad Ali.

Clue explainedFact checked

The repeated word “like” marks these as similes: each line compares a boxer’s action to something else, a butterfly’s floating or a bee’s sting. The famous pair is closely associated with Muhammad Ali and was coined by his cornerman Drew “Bundini” Brown. A simile makes a comparison explicitly, often with “like” or “as,” rather than stating that one thing is another.

Clue type:
Example

NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, October 10, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Artist whose first two initials stand for "Maurits Cornelis"
  2. 7Get to know a little better, say
  3. 15Kind
  4. 16"Not today, Satan!"
  5. 17Like Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear
  6. 18Place where it's a hoot to raise a family?
  7. 19Part of a swearing-in ceremony
  8. 20Peak overlooking the Grindelwald Valley
  9. 22Do a bad job of helping?
  10. 23Frito ___ (Tex-Mex dish)
  11. 24"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"
  12. 26Office building abbr.
  13. 27It's a lot for one person to take
  14. 30Was hot (for)
  15. 31Likely gonna
  16. 35Natives call it Muncibeddu, meaning "mountain of mountains"
  17. 36Seattle's W.N.B.A. team
  18. 39Be boastful
  19. 40Member of the winning 2025 Super Bowl team
  20. 42Some 1980s Jane Fonda performances
  21. 44Round and round and round?
  22. 47Este día
  23. 50Determine the going price?
  24. 51London's ___ Gardens
  25. 53"That makes sense now"
  26. 55Patches up, in a way
  27. 56___ Dee, lead role on HBO's "Insecure"
  28. 57Played by oneself
  29. 59Animated character with a signature quiff hairstyle
  30. 61Croupier's query
  31. 62Hide, in a way, as a communication
  32. 63State revenue source
  33. 64Became the beneficiary of

Down

  1. 1Legally prohibit
  2. 2Kind of student
  3. 3In free fall
  4. 4Word with grade or school
  5. 5Prefix with dermis
  6. 6Gate
  7. 7Hip-hop's birthplace, colloquially
  8. 8"What a pity"
  9. 9Sports figure who traditionally wears an orange armband, in brief
  10. 10Some Caltech grads: Abbr.
  11. 11It's seen near a wrist
  12. 12Commoners
  13. 13Start
  14. 14"Buona ___" (bedtime words in Roma)
  15. 21"No more for me, thanks"
  16. 24Like a sketchy person
  17. 25One-named singer with the 2016 #1 hit "Cheap Thrills"
  18. 28Flossing brand
  19. 29Walt Disney initially designed it as a utopian city
  20. 30Bit of concert merch
  21. 32Refueling spot
  22. 33Where a wallflower often stands
  23. 34Sounds of pain
  24. 37Podcaster Joe
  25. 381980s chart-topping band with a semi-duplicative name
  26. 41Camera brand named after a goddess
  27. 43Actor Penn
  28. 45Struck
  29. 46Neighbor of Francia
  30. 47Contents of a laugh track
  31. 48John who wrote "BUtterfield 8"
  32. 49Certain snack cake
  33. 52Abated
  34. 54Danny who was UNICEF's's first goodwill ambassador
  35. 56Peruvian ___ Orchid (dog breed)
  36. 58Title of a #1 Rihanna song and #1 SZA album
  37. 60Suffix with morph-

The answer to “"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"” in the New York Times crossword is SIMILES — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 10, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 24-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.

“"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"” answer

SIMILES (7 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 SIMILES.

What does SIMILES mean?

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

(noun)

  • a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion)

When else has “"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"” 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 10, 2026 (most recent) → SIMILES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"”?

The answer is SIMILES, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 10, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"”?

7 letters: SIMILES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 10, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 24-Across.

Can “"Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee"” 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 10, 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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