"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain

Latest answer — September 12, 2026

11 Down

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Clue explained

TORO means fatty tuna in Japanese sushi terminology, making it a “surf” food; in Spanish, toro means “bull,” a “turf” animal. The quotation marks signal the playful language switch between the two senses.

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
Fatty tuna sushi paired with a Spanish bull as a visual contrast.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, September 12, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Light décor
  2. 11Last place?
  3. 15Pop-up with an envelope icon
  4. 16Round figure
  5. 17Winner's circle?
  6. 18Take two
  7. 19Hyperfixated
  8. 20"Thick ___ Brick" (1972 Jethro Tull album)
  9. 21Earth's pull, informally
  10. 22On the ___ (free)
  11. 23Thumbs-down votes in the Duma
  12. 25Why wait?
  13. 26Personal circumstances, so to speak
  14. 28Justice who's the subject of the 2026 biography "Revenge for the Sixties"
  15. 30Rolls out the green carpet?
  16. 34First full word sung in "The Alphabet Song"
  17. 35Proverbial small amount
  18. 36"Now we're talking!"
  19. 39Capers
  20. 40Common ___
  21. 41Rowing machines, in gym lingo
  22. 42"Schitt's Creek" matriarch
  23. 43Really hurts
  24. 45Rout, in computer game lingo
  25. 46Word with letter or grant
  26. 48Toothbrush handle?
  27. 53Smokes
  28. 55N.B.A. coach Jordan ___
  29. 56Punnily named production company behind TV's "Insecure" and "A Black Lady Sketch Show"
  30. 57Stat
  31. 58Common sleep aid
  32. 60Acquire by default?
  33. 61Math class assignment
  34. 62Labor, e.g.: Abbr.
  35. 63Appliances that are always blowing out?

Down

  1. 1Carpenter's tool
  2. 2___ acid
  3. 3Kind of photography lens for a close-up
  4. 4Wraps in the Mideast
  5. 5Certain geometry calculations
  6. 6Playwright Moss ___
  7. 7Gymnast Raisman
  8. 8What a joke may get eventually
  9. 9Takes marks off in a classroom?
  10. 10Mid-March V.I.P., informally
  11. 11"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain
  12. 12Kitchen counter
  13. 13Became a household name, say
  14. 14Examples of media on Medium
  15. 23Many a listing in an etiquette book
  16. 24Wrap in South Asia
  17. 27Actors unsuited for subtle roles
  18. 29Country singer Combs
  19. 30Rewards program tracker
  20. 31"It's finally clear"
  21. 32Phone connector?
  22. 33Arouse
  23. 35Simoleon
  24. 37Labor pain?
  25. 38Journalist Larson who wrote "The Splendid and the Vile"
  26. 43Godzilla adversary
  27. 44Longhorn's rival
  28. 47Acidic
  29. 49Capacious
  30. 50Surface
  31. 51Pointer for a public speaker
  32. 52Sources of the juice that "bleeds" in a faux meat patty
  33. 54Tough thing to be in
  34. 56Stayed together
  35. 59Placeholder abbr.

The answer to “"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain” in the New York Times crossword is TORO — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 12, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 11-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.

“"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain” answer

TORO (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 TORO.

What does TORO mean?

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

(noun)

  • (in Japanese cooking) tuna meat from the belly of the fish, pale pink and rich in fat and used in sushi and sashimi

When else has “"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain” 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 12, 2026 (most recent) → TORO. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain”?

The answer is TORO, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain”?

4 letters: TORO.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 12, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 11-Down.

Can “"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain” 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 12, 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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