Inspired stuff

Latest answer — September 17, 2026

42 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

AIR is what is literally breathed in, or “inspired,” making the clue a play on the physical meaning of inspiration.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A person taking a breath outdoors

NYT Crossword

This clue's Thursday, September 17, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Buds
  2. 5Concealer for the face
  3. 9Pre-K building blocks
  4. 13Plant that thrives in a terra-cotta pot
  5. 14Stick it to your rival!
  6. 15Bring in
  7. 16Twill-woven worsted wool garment
  8. 17Fix, in a way
  9. 18Purple bubble tea flavor
  10. 19Annual e-sport fighting competition, in brief
  11. 20Short sidekick?
  12. 21Chocolatier with the tagline "Life is a ball"
  13. 22Dub over?
  14. 24Cuatro y dos
  15. 26Business magnate Condé
  16. 28Promising places?
  17. 32Ferry or wherry
  18. 35Start of an incantation
  19. 37Pastoral sound
  20. 38Web design feature that may cycle back to earlier sections ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme
  21. 42Inspired stuff
  22. 43Pro device
  23. 44___ out a win
  24. 45Bond alternatives
  25. 47"... ___ no one ever"
  26. 50Edge jump in figure skating
  27. 52Scenes on Black Friday
  28. 56Kaitlin of "Hacks"
  29. 59Pawn
  30. 61Addendum to the five W's
  31. 62Female antelopes
  32. 63"'___' is the thing with feathers" (Emily Dickinson poem)
  33. 64Woodsy scent
  34. 65Top of a mosque, often
  35. 66Column in decimal notation
  36. 67Central Plains people
  37. 68Losing streak
  38. 69Column in decimal notation
  39. 70Cheeky

Down

  1. 1--
  2. 2--
  3. 3--
  4. 4--
  5. 5--
  6. 6--
  7. 7--
  8. 8--
  9. 9--
  10. 10--
  11. 11--
  12. 12--
  13. 20Reddit Q&A; sesh
  14. 21Purple shade
  15. 23Prefix with body or bacterial
  16. 25Side mirrors on a car, anthropomorphically
  17. 27"Toodle-oo!"
  18. 29One way to run
  19. 30Actors like biting into a juicy one
  20. 31On board, say
  21. 32Pollster's concern
  22. 33"Handling this as we speak"
  23. 34Hairstyle that you've picked out?
  24. 36Kings and queens, e.g.
  25. 39Canon competitor
  26. 40___ facto
  27. 41Makeover
  28. 46Film production environment for an intimate scene, perhaps
  29. 48Digital security credential
  30. 49Get to
  31. 51Telegram and Simple Dialer, for two
  32. 53Cannellini, e.g.
  33. 54Organ-related item in a wallet
  34. 55Perfect place
  35. 56Expert employed by a sportsbook
  36. 57"Show me some real effort!"
  37. 58It's not a full stop
  38. 60Room in the audience up for grabs
  39. 63Absolute train wrecks
  40. 64Andy Warhol, e.g.

The answer to “Inspired stuff” in the New York Times crossword is AIR — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 17, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 42-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.

“Inspired stuff” answer

AIR (3 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 AIR.

What does AIR mean?

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

(noun)

  • the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen
  • an impression of a quality or manner given by someone or something
  • a tune or short melodious song

When else has “Inspired stuff” 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 17, 2026 (most recent) → AIR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Inspired stuff”?

The answer is AIR, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 17, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Inspired stuff”?

3 letters: AIR.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 17, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 42-Across.

Can “Inspired stuff” 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 17, 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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