Knuckled rub to the scalp

Editorially verified for the Apr 8, 2026

26 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, April 08, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1"I'm afraid not," quaintly
  2. 7Food brand for Fido
  3. 11Like major-city airports, typically: Abbr.
  4. 15Cash in
  5. 16Avocado dip, informally
  6. 17Take a risk
  7. 18Audience's reverent response to a symphony finale?
  8. 20Keenly interested
  9. 21Shakespearean "soon"
  10. 22That certain je ne sais quoi in Beethoven's "Moonlight"?
  11. 24Commotion
  12. 25Measure of college readiness, for short
  13. 26Knuckled rub to the scalp
  14. 27Publishing house workers: Abbr.
  15. 28Goal
  16. 29Wood-shaping hand tool
  17. 31Tagging symbols
  18. 32___-Magnon
  19. 33Vegas opener?
  20. 34Perry of pop
  21. 36Opportunity for a choral understudy?
  22. 39Belgrade native
  23. 40"Beats me," in a text
  24. 41Caviar, essentially
  25. 42Miss Piggy, for one
  26. 43Assns.
  27. 45Extended comedic riff
  28. 46Hindi for "rule"
  29. 49Chant heard at the start of "Hot Hot Hot"
  30. 51Girl in Glasgow
  31. 52Alias initialism
  32. 53When to play a note with sudden strong emphasis?
  33. 56"Groovy, man"
  34. 57Popular flavor of bubble tea
  35. 58"What's Opera, Doc?," e.g.?
  36. 60Volunteer's offer
  37. 61Hits hard
  38. 62Respond, as a pupil might
  39. 63Ending with kitchen
  40. 64Painter Paul
  41. 65Key of Brahms's Symphony No. 4

Down

  1. 1Covered passageway
  2. 2Meteor in a November shower
  3. 3Enhancing accessories
  4. 4Actor Astin of the "Lord of the Rings" films
  5. 5Original Super Mario Bros. console
  6. 6Oversight
  7. 7Author's representative
  8. 8Moon over Managua
  9. 9Treaty
  10. 10What Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa are both believed to have
  11. 11The Gem State
  12. 12Find one's way
  13. 13Dublin college founded in 1592
  14. 14Apartment planter sites, perhaps
  15. 19Good gardening soil
  16. 23Traditional samurai hairstyles
  17. 25Graph of y = ax^2 + bx + c, for example
  18. 29Frame for a game of pool
  19. 30Forehead marking at the start of Lent
  20. 32Convention bldg., in a mailing address
  21. 33Dudes, in British English
  22. 35Big name in hardware stores
  23. 36Underground scurrier
  24. 37Half of a darting motion
  25. 38Jean-Bertrand ___, 1990s Haitian leader
  26. 39One-man band, for example
  27. 42Sentimental sort
  28. 44Comment
  29. 45Make ___ (earn vast sums)
  30. 46Unit of angular measurement
  31. 47Like
  32. 48Rolling Stones frontman
  33. 50Absorber of UV light
  34. 51Charter
  35. 54Word with cavity or contraceptive
  36. 55One acting rather quiet?
  37. 56Savory South Asian rice cake
  38. 59Lower, as lights

The answer to “Knuckled rub to the scalp” in the New York Times crossword is NOOGIE — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 8, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 26-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.

“Knuckled rub to the scalp” answer

NOOGIE (6 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 NOOGIE.

Why the answer is NOOGIE

NOOGIE is the 6-letter solution that fits "Knuckled rub to the scalp" in the NYT Crossword crossword on April 8, 2026 (26-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does NOOGIE mean?

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

(noun)

  • a hard poke or grind with the knuckles, especially on a person's head

When else has “Knuckled rub to the scalp” 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.

April 8, 2026 (most recent) → NOOGIE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Knuckled rub to the scalp”?

The answer is NOOGIE, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 8, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Knuckled rub to the scalp”?

6 letters: NOOGIE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on April 8, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 26-Across.

Can “Knuckled rub to the scalp” 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 April 8, 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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