Light show tool

Editorially verified for the May 20, 2026

40 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, May 20, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Establishment that serves zombies, perhaps
  2. 8Adorn with raised lettering
  3. 14"Drink" for vocal critics
  4. 15European city that "waits for you," in a Billy Joel tune
  5. 16Nontraditional time for voting someone into office
  6. 18Redding who sang "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay"
  7. 19God played by Anthony Hopkins in Marvel movies
  8. 20Church cross
  9. 21Florence-based fashion house
  10. 24Takes back a public statement
  11. 26What a waiter might offer to start you off
  12. 29Make a boo-boo
  13. 30___ contendere (court plea)
  14. 31Spud
  15. 35Biting
  16. 37___ Kippur
  17. 39Actress Bow of the silent film era
  18. 40Light show tool
  19. 41TV personality Kotb
  20. 43Clan
  21. 44Bit of movie magic
  22. 48"Essential" product used as an anti-acne treatment
  23. 51Take ___ of faith
  24. 52Place for a seafood dinner
  25. 53Classic Pontiacs
  26. 55Arcing tennis shots
  27. 58Condescending rhetorical question ... or what you might say about 16-, 26- and 44-Across?
  28. 62John in the sketch "The Fish-Slapping Dance"
  29. 63"Seems right," folksily
  30. 64Words a teenager might say with an eye roll
  31. 65Says OK

Down

  1. 1Mustachioed president who succeeded another mustachioed president in 1909
  2. 2"Don't know why I thought any different!"
  3. 3Gets hyped
  4. 4Fury
  5. 5Farmyard bleat
  6. 6With deftness
  7. 7Clarinet, for one
  8. 8Made level
  9. 9Careful, this might be hot!
  10. 10Act of Judas
  11. 11Word with ring or roll
  12. 12Hoity-toity one
  13. 13Smooths, in a way
  14. 14"___ boy!"
  15. 17Old Italian money
  16. 22Musical notation that means "with vigor"
  17. 23Boardroom bigwig, in brief
  18. 25Spot to drink a matcha with a Manx
  19. 26Ocean prey for a 27-Down
  20. 27Ocean predator of a 26-Down
  21. 28Big to-do
  22. 32Be in charge, informally
  23. 33Protagonist of "That '70s Show"
  24. 34Speech full of invective
  25. 36Went back (to), as a prior state
  26. 38Epitome of slowness
  27. 42Director Guillermo ___ Toro
  28. 45Expressed frustration, maybe
  29. 46Beauty company whose Nasdaq ticker symbol is its name
  30. 47Atlanta athlete
  31. 48Risqué
  32. 49Walkway for newlyweds
  33. 50They're part of what makes you you
  34. 54"___ Noche en Miami" (Bad Bunny song)
  35. 56Low voice
  36. 57___-mo
  37. 59Org. whose staffers wear royal blue uniforms
  38. 60Lenovo products, informally
  39. 61Just get (by)

The answer to “Light show tool” in the New York Times crossword is LASER — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 20, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 40-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.

“Light show tool” answer

LASER (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 LASER.

Why the answer is LASER

LASER is the 5-letter solution that fits "Light show tool" in the NYT Crossword crossword on May 20, 2026 (40-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does LASER mean?

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

(noun)

  • a device that generates an intense beam of coherent monochromatic light (or other electromagnetic radiation) by stimulated emission of photons from excited atoms or molecules. Lasers are used in drilling and cutting, alignment and guidance, and in surgery; the optical properties are exploited in holography, reading barcodes, and in recording and playing compact discs

When else has “Light show tool” 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.

May 20, 2026 (most recent) → LASER. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Light show tool”?

The answer is LASER, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 20, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Light show tool”?

5 letters: LASER.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on May 20, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 40-Across.

Can “Light show tool” 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 May 20, 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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