Have the reins

Latest answer — September 14, 2026

8 Down

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Clue explained

To have the reins is to steer or control the direction of something, literally or figuratively. Steer is the verb matching the phrase’s implied action.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A rider holding reins and steering a horse

NYT Crossword

This clue's Monday, September 14, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Cherokee or Wrangler
  2. 5Omelet ingredients
  3. 9Big noisy fight
  4. 14Cornfield measure
  5. 15Little flying pest
  6. 16Dale who sang "Happy Trails" with Roy Rogers
  7. 17Crew building
  8. 19Assigns stars to, as on Yelp
  9. 20"Spare" things at a barbecue
  10. 21Stately tree
  11. 23Before, in poetry
  12. 24Atlantic City attraction
  13. 27"Is it bigger than a ___?"
  14. 29911 respondent, in brief
  15. 30Latina toon explorer
  16. 32Beatles song with the lyric "She promises the earth to me"
  17. 33Pinocchio's are easily exposed
  18. 35"Absolutely, amigo!"
  19. 37The White Stripes and the Black Keys, for two
  20. 39Close boxing match outcome
  21. 42Picket line crosser
  22. 43Silverstein who wrote and illustrated "The Giving Tree"
  23. 44Contacted on Instagram, informally
  24. 46Bills typically found in a tip jar
  25. 48Mallorca or Menorca, por ejemplo
  26. 50Place for a piercing or a plug
  27. 51All-out boxing match
  28. 54Sarcastic
  29. 56"Hamilton" composer ___-Manuel Miranda
  30. 57Singer/actress Rita ___
  31. 58It's "smashed" in a particle accelerator
  32. 59Playful aquatic mammal
  33. 61Flip out ... or a hint to the beginnings of 17-, 27-, 39- and 51-Across
  34. 66Word said while pointing
  35. 67"Never Have I ___" (sleepover game)
  36. 68Coldest possible temperature on the Kelvin scale
  37. 69Informal hoops game
  38. 70Winter road application
  39. 71Rams' mates

Down

  1. 1Quick boxing punch
  2. 2Prefix with friendly or warrior
  3. 3Slice of history
  4. 4___ dish (lab item)
  5. 5Self-esteem builder
  6. 6African antelopes
  7. 7Something an electric car doesn't use
  8. 8Have the reins
  9. 9Disney's Ariel and her sisters
  10. 10Youngest of the Gabor sisters
  11. 11One slow to develop
  12. 12Beginning of el año
  13. 13English county NE of London
  14. 18Female red deer
  15. 22"Break a ___!"
  16. 24"The Simpsons" collectible
  17. 25Out of place
  18. 26Pedometer
  19. 27Single, double or triple
  20. 28Ancient Celtic priest
  21. 31Clears (of)
  22. 34Word hidden, aptly, in "teen's language"
  23. 36Completes, as a cake
  24. 38Move stealthily
  25. 40Lead-in to "except after C"
  26. 41"Let me go first"
  27. 45Like some humor and wine
  28. 47To be, in Barcelona
  29. 49Soon, in poems
  30. 51Animal that sleeps upside down
  31. 52Certain art print, informally
  32. 53Wise sorts
  33. 55Astound
  34. 58Brother of Cain
  35. 60TV medical drama settings, in brief
  36. 62Things traveling through fallopian tubes
  37. 63Previously unseen
  38. 64"Rules ___ rules"
  39. 65Abba title sung after the line "The love you gave me, nothing else can save me"

The answer to “Have the reins” in the New York Times crossword is STEER — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 14, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 8-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.

“Have the reins” answer

STEER (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 STEER.

What does STEER mean?

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

(verb)

  • guide or control the movement of (a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft), for example by turning a wheel or operating a rudder

When else has “Have the reins” 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 14, 2026 (most recent) → STEER. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Have the reins”?

The answer is STEER, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 14, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Have the reins”?

5 letters: STEER.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 14, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 8-Down.

Can “Have the reins” 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 14, 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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