Quite the head-turner?

Latest answer — September 06, 2026

105 Across

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Clue explained

An OWL is a “head-turner” in the literal sense: owls can rotate their heads remarkably far. The question mark signals this playful physical interpretation.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
An owl looking over its shoulder with its head turned.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, September 06, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Spanish nibbles
  2. 6Do great
  3. 13"Silly me!"
  4. 20Letter in the Hebrew spelling of "Adonai"
  5. 21Closest area to a movie theater projector, maybe
  6. 22Noteworthy
  7. 23Flash
  8. 26Loudmouth's lack, perhaps
  9. 27Director Lee
  10. 28Taylor-Joy of "Dune: Part Three"
  11. 29Word after B or bucket
  12. 30"Rock of Ages" or "Stand by Me"
  13. 32Advantage
  14. 36White of the eye
  15. 39Lighthouse
  16. 45"Yeah, I know them"
  17. 46Burrowing rodent
  18. 47"So-o-o, as I was saying ..."
  19. 49"Mr. Blue Sky" band, for short
  20. 50Banger of a song
  21. 51"Fortnight" singer, to fans
  22. 52Directed
  23. 54"That is ... I mean ..."
  24. 55"Fifty Shades of Grey" author
  25. 58Dog hybrid with thick, low-shedding fur
  26. 60Mr. Knightley's love interest, in classic literature
  27. 61Embed with a hammer
  28. 62Lion King
  29. 65Operatic pop group formed by Simon Cowell
  30. 67Sort of person who brings people together
  31. 68Bad Boys
  32. 74Arab chiefs
  33. 78Fruit whose name has three syllables in four letters
  34. 79Panameñas y puertorriqueñas
  35. 80"A.S.A.P.!"
  36. 81Someone who exercises out of habit?
  37. 82Bird store supply
  38. 84"Starter" starter
  39. 85Word combined with "-fetti" in a portmanteau
  40. 86Onetime British Olympian/politician Sebastian
  41. 87Counterparts of troughs
  42. 89___ Finch, lawyer in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
  43. 91[waving the white flag]
  44. 93Dark Knight
  45. 97ChatGPT's company
  46. 98They never start with 9: Abbr.
  47. 99Word after news or line
  48. 100Famous last words
  49. 103Partner of rave
  50. 105Quite the head-turner?
  51. 107Live broadcast
  52. 110Angry Men
  53. 117Pushing off
  54. 118Rectangular baking container
  55. 119Give it a twirl!
  56. 120Follows the first rule of improv
  57. 121All together
  58. 122Obdurate

Down

  1. 1Chief justice who remarked "I don't remember that I ever was president"
  2. 2Mozart's "Rondo ___ Turca"
  3. 3Sext symbol?
  4. 4Newsroom writing standard, in brief
  5. 5"Just listen ..."
  6. 6Group of families
  7. 7Cooking surface
  8. 8Sch. with the second-most N.F.L. draft picks of all time, after Notre Dame
  9. 9Sault ___ Marie, Mich.
  10. 109-5, say: Abbr.
  11. 11State that's the setting for "American Gothic"
  12. 12Pullover/cardigan combo
  13. 13Down the middle, say
  14. 14"Gaping" feature
  15. 15Latin 101 verb
  16. 16Reasoning that doesn't hold up
  17. 17Texter's "Duh!"
  18. 18Cheers for the Spanish national team?
  19. 19For fear that
  20. 24Minced oath
  21. 25Toymaker behind Tickle Me Elmo
  22. 31Lincoln Laboratory operator, in brief
  23. 33Co. with red-and-yellow trucks
  24. 34One of Ralph Waldo Emerson's six "Representative Men"
  25. 35Offerer of a 33-country train pass
  26. 37"Good heavens!"
  27. 38Arcane letter
  28. 39Many a middle schooler
  29. 40Slangy "very"
  30. 41Kaiser Permanente and others, in brief
  31. 42Initiate small talk, say
  32. 43___ change
  33. 44Black Sabbath guitarist Tony
  34. 48Desert country popular for whale watching
  35. 50Like some novelty straws
  36. 52Lovely, as a lass
  37. 53D.J. and record producer Steve ___
  38. 56Clearing account?
  39. 57___ Minderbinder from "Catch-22"
  40. 58Minced oath
  41. 59Comes down hard
  42. 60Long-feathered flier
  43. 62Jason Seaver or Ward Cleaver, notably
  44. 63These are fighting words
  45. 64Classic drink brand sold in tall bottles
  46. 66Castaway's setting
  47. 68En ___ (legal phrase)
  48. 69Lexus rival
  49. 70People with no word for "please" in their native language
  50. 71Last in the batting order
  51. 72Govt. instruments
  52. 73Coyotes, foxes et al.
  53. 75Vegan brand with the logo of a cow wearing a fake mustache
  54. 76___ ball (rubbery toy)
  55. 77"Awesome"
  56. 80When many parks close
  57. 82Sign of the cross?
  58. 8390° del norte
  59. 85Fandom identities often with fluffy tails and ears
  60. 88Part of a three-word phrase expressing regret
  61. 89Quivering with excitement
  62. 90John
  63. 91Percentage at a bank: Abbr.
  64. 92Be perfectly supine, say
  65. 94Like Cinderella, initially
  66. 95Aloo gobi go-with
  67. 96Burn unit?
  68. 100Vintage goods e-tailer
  69. 101Overly sentimental, to Brits
  70. 102Hamiltons
  71. 104Ending with Jumbo or beta
  72. 106Fortified stuff, maybe
  73. 108Milton Friedman's field, familiarly
  74. 109Big Apple fashion house
  75. 111Info on auto documents, for short
  76. 112Wrap up
  77. 113It has a thick skin
  78. 114Deg. for some writers
  79. 115Mini-albums, for short
  80. 116Cheap shot?

The answer to “Quite the head-turner?” in the New York Times crossword is OWL — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 6, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 105-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.

“Quite the head-turner?” answer

OWL (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 OWL.

What does OWL mean?

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

(noun)

  • a nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes, a facial disc, a hooked beak, and typically a loud hooting call

When else has “Quite the head-turner?” 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 6, 2026 (most recent) → OWL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Quite the head-turner?”?

The answer is OWL, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 6, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Quite the head-turner?”?

3 letters: OWL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 6, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 105-Across.

Can “Quite the head-turner?” 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 6, 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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