Losing effort

Latest answer — January 09, 2026

56 Down

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

NYT Crossword

This clue's Friday, January 09, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Crush
  2. 10They get picked up at clubs
  3. 14Winning like crazy
  4. 15Surfing destinations, for short
  5. 16Places many Cubans are found
  6. 18Noggin
  7. 19Clumsy oafs
  8. 20"You better believe it!"
  9. 22Bad thing to have in a poker game
  10. 25Dumps
  11. 26Apple core?
  12. 28Confirmation from a maître d'
  13. 30"I didn't do it!"
  14. 34Stealthy flier
  15. 39Bummer at a casino game
  16. 40It often comes with the job
  17. 42___ Slush (frozen fruit drink)
  18. 43"Watch your mouth!"
  19. 44Old-timey oath
  20. 46Firm up
  21. 47Eats
  22. 48Was rude on the road or the dance floor
  23. 52"Weed 'Em and ___," gardening book whose title is a spoonerism
  24. 54Led the charge
  25. 57Prepares for a wild night, maybe
  26. 60Monopoly token retired in 2017
  27. 61He's great for the time being
  28. 64Be just chillin'
  29. 65"Beats me!"
  30. 66Jazz coda?
  31. 67Unpack for the night, in a way

Down

  1. 1Small bit, in Bogotá
  2. 2Windows alternative
  3. 3Something you have trouble putting down
  4. 4Gradually introduce, with "in"
  5. 5The Beatles' "___ Blues"
  6. 6Varieties of this include chocolate and yellow
  7. 7"Then again ...," to a texter
  8. 8Puzzles
  9. 9Build
  10. 10Footwear that lacks defined heels
  11. 11An "A" in geometry
  12. 12Dull
  13. 13Often-redacted fig.
  14. 17Item that someone with cold feet might have
  15. 21Verb that fills in the blanks of its own synonym: _ _AR_
  16. 23Be just chillin'
  17. 24Vividly shocking
  18. 26Kind of fever
  19. 27Ballade or étude
  20. 29Analogy words
  21. 31Raccoon, humorously
  22. 32It's bubbling below the surface
  23. 33Pointers for some fighters?
  24. 35Rom-com plot points
  25. 36Channel offering deals
  26. 37There are more than 2.3 million in N.Y.C.: Abbr.
  27. 38Industrial cutter
  28. 41Oscar winner Blanchett
  29. 45Shady, in modern parlance
  30. 49Flat hat
  31. 50Elba who portrayed Nelson Mandela
  32. 51"Some ___!"
  33. 53Shenanigan
  34. 54Java ingredient?
  35. 55Listing on a jobs website
  36. 56Losing effort
  37. 58Wilde thing
  38. 59Cashless transaction
  39. 60Ad or show follower
  40. 62African grazer
  41. 63Challenge from a hard-hit ground ball, perhaps

The answer to “Losing effort” in the New York Times crossword is DIET — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on January 9, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 56-Down. 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.

“Losing effort” answer

DIET (4 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 DIET.

Why the answer is DIET

DIET is the 4-letter solution that fits "Losing effort" in the NYT Crossword crossword on January 9, 2026 (56-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does DIET mean?

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

(noun)

  • the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats
  • a special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons

When else has “Losing effort” 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.

January 9, 2026 (most recent) → DIET. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Losing effort”?

The answer is DIET, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on January 9, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Losing effort”?

4 letters: DIET.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on January 9, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 56-Down.

Can “Losing effort” 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 January 9, 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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