Spirals out of control?

Latest answer — October 18, 2025

48 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, October 18, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Measure of rank in Maori culture, informally
  2. 8Bubbles
  3. 13Sauce in Italian-American cuisine
  4. 14Knocked out
  5. 15It's in right now
  6. 16Was worthy of
  7. 17Having a single purpose
  8. 18Light that goes up when things are going down?
  9. 20Snatch
  10. 21Crank cases?
  11. 23Something pulled in many car chase scenes, for short
  12. 25Home to the Arco di Constantino
  13. 26Present a chance to get ahead
  14. 29Spaniards roll them
  15. 30Was really moving, in slang
  16. 31"Uh ... I guess"
  17. 32Sources of 24/7 support
  18. 33Many an attachment
  19. 36Ones catching waves
  20. 37Longtime name in Cuban politics
  21. 38Those playing the king of Egypt in "Aïda"
  22. 39Monthly magazine that sponsors a large annual music festival in New Orleans
  23. 41Easily removed locks
  24. 42Limited assignment
  25. 45Smallest member of the eurozone (122 square miles)
  26. 46Appropriately change course
  27. 48Spirals out of control?
  28. 50Panhellenic Games venue
  29. 51Can't cool off
  30. 52Gifted
  31. 53Culinary concurrence

Down

  1. 1Understands
  2. 2Site of some piercings
  3. 3"There's never been a better time" tech sloganeer
  4. 4Fangorn resident
  5. 5Sweet doings at a county fair
  6. 6___ Sea, locale of a 20th-century environmental disaster
  7. 7Cry that might be made with a bow
  8. 8Responders to cruise ship emergencies
  9. 9It works in translation
  10. 10Crunchy snacks
  11. 11Fine-tunes
  12. 12Divider of lots
  13. 13Really into
  14. 1521st-century first lady
  15. 19Attire for many a flamenco dancer
  16. 22Upright bar
  17. 24Bonheur who painted "Ploughing in the Nivernais"
  18. 27Woman's name that sounds like two letters of the alphabet
  19. 28Colorful swimmers in the Amazon
  20. 30Energy device that reflects sunlight
  21. 31Rings up?
  22. 32Can hold one's own, in modern lingo
  23. 33Bread purchase in the U.K.
  24. 34Like a building's central air conditioning
  25. 35Dogbane?
  26. 36Like drug dens, sometimes
  27. 37FAQ heading
  28. 38East African honorific
  29. 40Reduce to a pulp
  30. 43Minute
  31. 44Pay attention to
  32. 47Zip
  33. 49Home to the U.S.'s first pizzeria, according to the Pizza Hall of Fame, for short

The answer to “Spirals out of control?” in the New York Times crossword is TORNADOES — a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 18, 2025, a Saturday puzzle, at 48-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.

“Spirals out of control?” answer

TORNADOES (9 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 TORNADOES.

Why the answer is TORNADOES

TORNADOES is the 9-letter solution that fits "Spirals out of control?" in the NYT Crossword crossword on October 18, 2025 (48-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does TORNADOES mean?

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

(noun)

  • a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system

When else has “Spirals out of control?” 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.

October 18, 2025 (most recent) → TORNADOES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Spirals out of control?”?

The answer is TORNADOES, a 9-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 18, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Spirals out of control?”?

9 letters: TORNADOES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 18, 2025 (a Saturday puzzle), at 48-Across.

Can “Spirals out of control?” 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 October 18, 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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