In need of patching, perhaps

The answer to “In need of patching, perhaps” in the New York Times crossword is LEAKY — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on March 4, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 16-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.

“In need of patching, perhaps” answer

LEAKY (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 LEAKY.

Why the answer is LEAKY

LEAKY is the 5-letter solution that fits "In need of patching, perhaps" in the NYT Crossword crossword on March 4, 2026 (16-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does LEAKY mean?

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

When else has “In need of patching, perhaps” 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.

March 4, 2026 (most recent) → LEAKY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions