It may be brown or blonde

Latest answer — July 24, 2025

16 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Thursday, July 24, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Beat at chess
  2. 6Speech therapists' targets
  3. 11Adds to the chain, in a way
  4. 14Daggerlike symbols on manuscripts
  5. 15Square
  6. 16It may be brown or blonde
  7. 17"Nice of you to show up"
  8. 19Something to play by
  9. 20Marching syllable
  10. 21Utter nonsense
  11. 22Vocal flourish used by Lady Gaga in "Shallow" and "Bad Romance"
  12. 24Tries, tries again
  13. 27Univision article
  14. 28"Hey, England, happy Fourth of July!"
  15. 33Cow or cobra, in yoga
  16. 36Do it!
  17. 37Suffix with Sudan or Bhutan
  18. 38With 41-Across, a hint to this puzzle's theme
  19. 39Stereotypical attire for tech bros
  20. 41See 38-Across
  21. 42Head into?
  22. 43Speak hoarsely
  23. 44___ blanc (type of white grape)
  24. 45"Say 'goodnight' Alexa." "Goodnight Alexa"
  25. 49Trash
  26. 50Relative of a votive candle
  27. 54Attire for an acrobat
  28. 58Era in which daylight saving was introduced as a way to conserve energy, in brief
  29. 59Lion in ancient Rome
  30. 60"omg, u r too much"
  31. 61"Bottom-of-the-barrel barrel prices! Buy today!"
  32. 64Love, at Wimbledon
  33. 65Softened
  34. 66"___: The Origins of Our Discontents," Isabel Wilkerson best seller
  35. 67Like one who might prefer platonic relationships, informally
  36. 68Fathers' last words?
  37. 69"Challenge accepted!"

Down

  1. 1Japanese rice cake
  2. 2Approximately
  3. 3Home for the Sun Devils
  4. 4___ City (nickname for New Haven, Conn.)
  5. 5Many a Joseph Cornell artwork
  6. 6Shine
  7. 7Tavern
  8. 8A matchbook, for a wobbly table, say
  9. 9"___ down!" ("Shut up!")
  10. 10Explore a cave
  11. 11Like the Roman Empire around 48 B.C.
  12. 12One might be cooked "casino"-style
  13. 13Will be, in Spanish
  14. 18Musical building block
  15. 23Company name ender
  16. 25South African currency
  17. 26Doesn't get hit, say
  18. 29Hard animal to herd
  19. 30Bad ending?
  20. 31Site of a Nobel Prize award ceremony every December 10
  21. 32Lasting lash effect
  22. 33"East of Eden" girl
  23. 34Setting for "The King and I"
  24. 35Mammal that can roll up into a ball
  25. 39One might help you move
  26. 40Medium capacity?
  27. 41___ Field (M.L.B. venue since 2009)
  28. 43Skin condition that causes facial flushing
  29. 44Major that might require International Relations and U.S. Government classes, informally
  30. 46Pimple
  31. 47Ties another knot, so to speak
  32. 48Comical growl
  33. 51Word with cut or shot
  34. 52Observe closely, as orders
  35. 53Symbol
  36. 54Forearm bone
  37. 55Genre for "Double Indemnity"
  38. 56Last word in the first line of "Home on the Range"
  39. 57One tablespoon, maybe
  40. 62Write
  41. 63Porkpie, e.g.

The answer to “It may be brown or blonde” in the New York Times crossword is ALE — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 24, 2025, a Thursday 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.

“It may be brown or blonde” answer

ALE (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 ALE.

Why the answer is ALE

ALE is the 3-letter solution that fits "It may be brown or blonde" in the NYT Crossword crossword on July 24, 2025 (16-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does ALE mean?

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

(noun)

  • any beer other than lager, stout, or porter

When else has “It may be brown or blonde” 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.

July 24, 2025 (most recent) → ALE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “It may be brown or blonde”?

The answer is ALE, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 24, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “It may be brown or blonde”?

3 letters: ALE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on July 24, 2025 (a Thursday puzzle), at 16-Across.

Can “It may be brown or blonde” 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 July 24, 2025 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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