How some duels are fought

Latest answer — October 04, 2026

68 Down

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Clue explained

A duel fought “to the death” is fought until one of the combatants dies. The answer completes that familiar phrase describing how a duel may be fought.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
Two people facing each other with swords in a historical duel reenactment.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, October 04, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1Neglect to mention
  2. 5"Oh, and ..."
  3. 9Other sock
  4. 13Not much, as of lotion
  5. 17Prefix with technology
  6. 18You'll pay for this!
  7. 19Finishes off
  8. 20Liver's output
  9. 21"10-4"
  10. 24Profiteroles, by another name
  11. 27Fit perfectly
  12. 28Dieter's choice
  13. 29"___ the One" (song on Springsteen's "Born to Run")
  14. 30Tow job, maybe
  15. 33Hurt all over
  16. 34Philippine currency
  17. 35Certain graphical shapes
  18. 36Russian ruler of old
  19. 37One may be teen or false
  20. 39High-powered but lightweight racers
  21. 45Diminutive for "Elizabeth"
  22. 48"Most definitely!," in Mexico City
  23. 49"That's my preference as well"
  24. 50Crushing on
  25. 51"___ there!"
  26. 52"The 12 Days of Christmas" bird
  27. 53Ring
  28. 54Component of wine or vinegar
  29. 55No-nos for many high-profile actors
  30. 58Epoch conclusion?
  31. 61Titanic
  32. 62Central
  33. 63___ Nublar, fictional setting of "Jurassic Park"
  34. 64Pizzicato's opposite, musically
  35. 65Summer cookout dish
  36. 71Classic brand with the slogan "When it rains it pours"
  37. 77Fair
  38. 78Org. created in response to 67-Down
  39. 79Electronic musician Steve
  40. 80Stench
  41. 81Oversupply
  42. 82Takes to task
  43. 85___ cake
  44. 86Son of Adam and Eve
  45. 87Message about a suspicious login, e.g.
  46. 88Mimicked
  47. 89Hawaiian goose
  48. 92Sections of pre-K days
  49. 93Defense in a snowball fight
  50. 95Wedding vows
  51. 96Doc who might screen for HPV
  52. 97Deets
  53. 98Source of the Mississippi River
  54. 103Behaves as if one were going to fail
  55. 109At sea
  56. 11010/4 celebration ... as suggested by this grid, which is made up entirely of 10- and 4-letter answers
  57. 111Noun-forming suffix
  58. 112"Ammunition" for a bubble gun
  59. 113Lewis who wrote "The Taste of Country Cooking"
  60. 114Morass
  61. 115"Yuck!"
  62. 116Both digits on Groundhog Day
  63. 117Nails will do it, but not teeth
  64. 118Texting button

Down

  1. 1Weight to bear
  2. 2Ginóbili in the Basketball Hall of Fame
  3. 3Busy with something else
  4. 4Conform
  5. 5"___ girl!"
  6. 6Pillager's plunder
  7. 7Blackthorn berry
  8. 8Drawback to a brownstone
  9. 9What gets a lot of viral views?
  10. 10About 75% of a football field
  11. 11Angry, with "off"
  12. 12Son of Isaac and Rebekah
  13. 13Resident of a Mideast capital
  14. 14Result of 10 - 4, e.g.
  15. 15___ Romeo
  16. 16Tops
  17. 22Ways to go: Abbr.
  18. 23OK
  19. 25Seven-plus-hour exam with a lunch break, in brief
  20. 26Neighbors of delts
  21. 31German article
  22. 32Furry friends
  23. 37Library ID
  24. 38Victor Hugo's religious epic poem
  25. 39Oblique look
  26. 40Ring around the doze-y?
  27. 41Wander
  28. 42Egyptian god of the sun disk
  29. 43Reflective post
  30. 44Beyoncé or Harry Styles, now
  31. 46Agitate
  32. 47Scotch's partner
  33. 56Like most Iranians
  34. 57Say "$%&!," say
  35. 59Kind of score between 300 and 850
  36. 60Ever's partner
  37. 65Dowels, e.g.
  38. 66Wheel support
  39. 67Pioneering satellite launched 10/4/57
  40. 68How some duels are fought
  41. 69Home to a majority of people
  42. 70Downloads that pair with your smartphone?
  43. 71Post office post
  44. 72Move like mud
  45. 73Large photovoltaic arrays
  46. 74Maxim about surviving in a rapidly changing world
  47. 75Cause of "that butterfly feeling"
  48. 76Prefix with "wife" for some influencers
  49. 83"Now ___ me down to sleep"
  50. 84Title for Horatio Magellan Crunch
  51. 90Femme fatale-filled genre
  52. 91Approx.
  53. 93Hall-of-Fame catcher Carlton
  54. 94Start of a fairy tale
  55. 98Gentle soul
  56. 99Son of Adam and Eve
  57. 100Rank of some profs: Abbr.
  58. 101Spectacle
  59. 102"See ya!"
  60. 104Language written from right to left
  61. 105Sisters
  62. 106Style of singing on Louis Armstrong's "Heebie Jeebies"
  63. 107Make
  64. 108Like denim fabric, typically

The answer to “How some duels are fought” in the New York Times crossword is TOTHEDEATH — a 10-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 4, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 68-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.

“How some duels are fought” answer

TOTHEDEATH (10 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 TOTHEDEATH.

When else has “How some duels are fought” 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 4, 2026 (most recent) → TOTHEDEATH. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “How some duels are fought”?

The answer is TOTHEDEATH, a 10-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 4, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “How some duels are fought”?

10 letters: TOTHEDEATH.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 4, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 68-Down.

Can “How some duels are fought” 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 4, 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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