Stories passed down by word of mouth

Latest answer — October 14, 2025

40 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, October 14, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Awards for athletic achievements
  2. 6Drove like mad
  3. 10Outer arm muscles, for short
  4. 14Talent seeker
  5. 15Follow instructions
  6. 16Help for a stumped solver
  7. 17"In what season are the Olympics during leap years, sweetie?" "___"
  8. 19Home of the Taj Mahal
  9. 20President Lincoln, informally
  10. 21Carnival attractions
  11. 22Multiple-choice option akin to "None of the above"
  12. 23Heavily edit with beauty filters, as a photo, in modern lingo
  13. 25Fares and fees
  14. 26"Which 'Little Rascals' character has a cowlick, sugar?" "___"
  15. 30Head-turning spectacle
  16. 33Puts out in public
  17. 34Pitcher's stat, for short
  18. 35These are visible when you sport an updo
  19. 36"Got it"
  20. 38Say if you're attending, in brief
  21. 39Bird that can outrun the fastest human sprinters
  22. 40Stories passed down by word of mouth
  23. 41Makes more manageable
  24. 42"What are oils and watercolors examples of, dear?" "___"
  25. 46Watermelon leftovers
  26. 47"In all probability ..."
  27. 51Skewered dish served with peanut sauce
  28. 52Symbol of poison, often
  29. 54What happy tails do
  30. 55Without warranty
  31. 56"What do you call a close-fitting hat, doll?" "___"
  32. 58Mule or moccasin
  33. 59Cobra's tooth
  34. 60Order from the doc's office
  35. 61Keep up to date across multiple devices
  36. 62Run away
  37. 63Something a bloodhound picks up

Down

  1. 1Bit of writing from Joan Didion
  2. 2___ diver
  3. 3Apples, pears and quinces, botanically
  4. 4"Dee-lish!"
  5. 5Bacteria-free
  6. 6"Should've listened to me!"
  7. 7Instrument similar to a heckelphone
  8. 8Makes go "Vroom!"
  9. 9Appreciation for design
  10. 10"Oh, really?"
  11. 11Moral justification
  12. 12Waiting to be used
  13. 13One of seven in the Big Dipper
  14. 18Jazz lick
  15. 22___ and aahs
  16. 24Comic ___ (font)
  17. 25Indicator of a penalty, in soccer
  18. 27Casual farewell
  19. 28"A pox on thee!"
  20. 29Keeps talking and talking and talking
  21. 30Come off as
  22. 31Avoiding the limelight, say
  23. 32Quality of a scholar
  24. 36Award nominations, so to speak
  25. 37Pop singer Rita
  26. 38Poverty, symbolically
  27. 40Noble title on TV's "Bridgerton"
  28. 41Having no boundaries
  29. 43"I'll be right there"
  30. 44Room to relax in
  31. 45Savory South Asian rice cake
  32. 48Cognizant
  33. 49Yitzhak ___, two-time Israeli P.M.
  34. 50Country whose national soccer team is nicknamed the Pharaohs
  35. 51Back talk
  36. 52Circus clapper
  37. 53"Citizen ___"
  38. 56Someone you're super-tight with, in brief
  39. 57Secretly loop in, in a way

The answer to “Stories passed down by word of mouth” in the New York Times crossword is LORE — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 14, 2025, a Tuesday 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.

“Stories passed down by word of mouth” answer

LORE (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 LORE.

Why the answer is LORE

LORE is the 4-letter solution that fits "Stories passed down by word of mouth" in the NYT Crossword crossword on October 14, 2025 (40-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does LORE mean?

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

(noun)

  • a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth

When else has “Stories passed down by word of mouth” 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 14, 2025 (most recent) → LORE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Stories passed down by word of mouth”?

The answer is LORE, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 14, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Stories passed down by word of mouth”?

4 letters: LORE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 14, 2025 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 40-Across.

Can “Stories passed down by word of mouth” 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 14, 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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