"Infection" common among schoolkids

Latest answer — September 05, 2026

38 Across

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Clue explained

COOTIES is the childish, joking term for an imaginary “infection” said to spread among schoolchildren, especially through contact with the opposite sex.

Clue type:
Definition
Schoolchildren reacting playfully to the idea of cooties

NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, September 05, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Made chitchat
  2. 10Underground rock
  3. 15"Slow down a second!"
  4. 16What you might hear when you get someone's goat?
  5. 17Nay sayers
  6. 19Actor Nick of "The Prince of Tides"
  7. 20One way to stand
  8. 21Hang time, for short?
  9. 22Important
  10. 23Journey, so to speak
  11. 25Access, as to an elite network
  12. 27"___ ME" (humorous "sign")
  13. 29European landmark whose name begins with an "A" in classical literature
  14. 31Reduced price?
  15. 32Revered one
  16. 34"Keep on going!"
  17. 36Word in a Tibetan leader's title
  18. 38"Infection" common among schoolkids
  19. 40California city bisected by Interstate 5
  20. 42Not continue beyond
  21. 43Stunner
  22. 45Cette femme
  23. 46Toy popularized by Queen Victoria, familiarly
  24. 47___ dance (Lunar New Year tradition)
  25. 49Shiny material
  26. 51Annular reefs
  27. 53Stock market option
  28. 55TV drama whose past guest stars have included Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber
  29. 58Its license plate might read "FOR HIRE"
  30. 59Land, marked
  31. 61Held the elevator door for, say
  32. 63Sarcastic response to boasting
  33. 66Carnival line?
  34. 67Score sneakily
  35. 68"The door's open!"
  36. 69Conclude an agreement, say

Down

  1. 1Ritzy
  2. 2Luxury fashion house based in Paris
  3. 3Incident so dramatic it feels like a movie
  4. 4Apt name for a yoga instructor?
  5. 5"Our best thought came from ___": Ralph Waldo Emerson
  6. 6"Found you!"
  7. 7Cracker alternative to Ritz
  8. 8Mobile library?
  9. 9Cope
  10. 10Future manager's goal, for short
  11. 11Most-celebrated celebrities
  12. 12Primary follower
  13. 13Thing you may regret hitting "Reply All" to
  14. 14When it happened
  15. 18Valley with gentle slopes
  16. 24"I can't catch a break!"
  17. 26Bubkes
  18. 2820-Across, en español
  19. 30Green-winged water bird
  20. 32Stunning attraction at a winter festival, maybe
  21. 33Clothing tag warning
  22. 35Seat of one European monarchy
  23. 37Tongue-in-cheek interjection akin to "Told ya ..."
  24. 39"___ turn out fine"
  25. 41Like the 18th Amendment, nowadays
  26. 44Boorish
  27. 48Game on a car trip
  28. 50Form of a gene
  29. 52The sound that concludes "The Sound and the Fury"
  30. 54Befuddled
  31. 56"We're alike in that way"
  32. 57Cove
  33. 60Stock market woe
  34. 62Diminishing return?
  35. 64Waterproofing material for a sail, once
  36. 65Lahore is here: Abbr.

The answer to “"Infection" common among schoolkids” in the New York Times crossword is COOTIES — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 5, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 38-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.

“"Infection" common among schoolkids” answer

COOTIES (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 COOTIES.

What does COOTIES mean?

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

(noun)

  • a body louse
  • a children's term for an imaginary germ said to have infected a person of the opposite sex or someone considered socially undesirable

When else has “"Infection" common among schoolkids” 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 5, 2026 (most recent) → COOTIES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"Infection" common among schoolkids”?

The answer is COOTIES, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 5, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"Infection" common among schoolkids”?

7 letters: COOTIES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 5, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 38-Across.

Can “"Infection" common among schoolkids” 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 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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