Take a load off

Latest answer — February 08, 2026

5 Down

What you might do when your feet need a break 🪑

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, February 08, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Crafty sort
  2. 8Vegetables that should typically be sliced lengthwise before washing
  3. 13Cowboy on the pampas
  4. 19"Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" sculptor
  5. 20Supplement
  6. 22Get in on the game
  7. 23Scrunchie, e.g.
  8. 25"Oh, cruel fate!"
  9. 26Autocorrect target
  10. 27Classification
  11. 28Sports franchises, e.g.
  12. 30Fine-grained wood in some woodwind instruments
  13. 31Social norms
  14. 34Wizard of ___ Park (Thomas Edison nickname)
  15. 35Disney heroine based on New Orleans chef Leah Chase
  16. 36USA, e.g.
  17. 39Title for William beginning in 2022
  18. 42Hawk homes
  19. 43In view
  20. 44Money in rock 'n' roll
  21. 45Nonprofit group behind Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog
  22. 48Patron of sailors
  23. 52Work with a needle
  24. 53Position in basketball
  25. 54___ Kippur
  26. 57Looks through someone's phone, say
  27. 59Pointers for a fencer?
  28. 61Slacken
  29. 64[Bo-o-oring!]
  30. 65Pop, to a tot
  31. 67Explicit command
  32. 71One-named singer with four Grammys
  33. 72Relative of a heron
  34. 74Sirenlike
  35. 75What a sad person might break into
  36. 771987 Dreyfuss/DeVito comedy
  37. 79"!!!"
  38. 80Philosopher Kierkegaard
  39. 82Dig up dirt?
  40. 85It typically has a string attached
  41. 87Bright shade similar to magenta
  42. 91"Things Fall ___" (Chinua Achebe novel)
  43. 94"Oh, cruel fate!"
  44. 95Canadian coin featuring a polar bear, informally
  45. 96Margaret Atwood novel with a love triangle involving a paleontologist
  46. 101Weasel relatives
  47. 102A water molecule contains three of these
  48. 103Vexillologist's subject
  49. 104Stone measure
  50. 105Explorer with her monkey friend Boots
  51. 106Bud of baseball
  52. 107What Excedrin relieves
  53. 109Strawberry ___ Refresher (Starbucks drink)
  54. 113Stir up
  55. 115Hit reality TV series suggested by this puzzle's groups of circled letters
  56. 119Place for a shoelace
  57. 120Manning with two Super Bowl rings
  58. 121"You can count on me!"
  59. 122Talks back to
  60. 123Witherspoon of "Legally Blonde"
  61. 124Patronized, as a restaurant

Down

  1. 1Words on either side of "___ is ___"
  2. 2Bank (on)
  3. 3Sting operation
  4. 4Trouble with Z's?
  5. 5Take a load off
  6. 6Singer DiFranco who created Righteous Babe Records
  7. 7Small change
  8. 8Tilt
  9. 9Werewolf on TV's "Wednesday"
  10. 10Slip up
  11. 11Wee mewer
  12. 12Prestigious academic journal since 1880
  13. 13Résumé problems, at times
  14. 14365 días
  15. 15More ideal?
  16. 16Trix or Kix
  17. 17___ society
  18. 18Performances at Paris's Palais Garnier
  19. 21Well again
  20. 24Quick hellos
  21. 29Vibes
  22. 32Jumpy
  23. 33What many a shelter animal hopes to be
  24. 34BMW offering since 2000
  25. 35Many boy band fans
  26. 362019 film that one reviewer called "purr-fectly dreadful"
  27. 37Villainous chortle
  28. 38"Can I go now?"
  29. 39Await settlement, as a payment
  30. 40Partner of Parks, informally
  31. 41Goes well with
  32. 43California's Big ___
  33. 46Band with the 1995 hit "Wonderwall"
  34. 47Clorox competitor
  35. 49Individualist
  36. 50Drink from a tub?
  37. 51Concert broadcast that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025, with "the"
  38. 55The Who's "Love, Reign ___ Me"
  39. 56Makeup of some face masks
  40. 58Vast amount
  41. 60Italian city known for its cheese
  42. 61Vapes
  43. 62Georgia airport, for short
  44. 63___ dish
  45. 65Annual reason for lost sleep: Abbr.
  46. 66Fighting
  47. 68Pi follower
  48. 69"Uhh ...," to Brits
  49. 70Come back in
  50. 73Alternatives to gyro platters
  51. 76Variety of rabbit or goat
  52. 78What a tall collar covers
  53. 80Read quickly
  54. 81Gives the green light
  55. 83"I've got this"
  56. 84Barely scrapes (by)
  57. 86Social blunder
  58. 88Amateur radio devotees
  59. 89Greeting in Brazil
  60. 90Easily moved
  61. 92Arrive by car
  62. 93Gym staff member
  63. 96Set of nine dancing in "The 12 Days of Christmas"
  64. 972017 figure skating biopic
  65. 98Compels
  66. 99Things that typically build up during vacation
  67. 100Easter purchase
  68. 101Social media tribute to a celeb, say
  69. 104Tech company exec
  70. 106Hollywood workplaces
  71. 107Major-leaguers
  72. 108Something hard to face?
  73. 110Small bug?
  74. 111___ Minor
  75. 112Stevie Wonder's "___ She Lovely"
  76. 114Vex, with "off"
  77. 116Summer on the Riviera
  78. 117Onetime parent co. of Virgin Records
  79. 118Led

The answer to “Take a load off” in the New York Times crossword is SIT — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 8, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 5-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.

“Take a load off” answer

SIT (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 SIT.

Why the answer is SIT

What you might do when your feet need a break 🪑

What does SIT mean?

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

(verb)

  • adopt or be in a position in which one's weight is supported by one's buttocks rather than one's feet and one's back is upright
  • be or remain in a particular position or state
  • (of a parliament, committee, court of law, etc.) be engaged in its business

When else has “Take a load off” 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.

February 8, 2026 (most recent) → SIT. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Take a load off”?

The answer is SIT, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 8, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Take a load off”?

3 letters: SIT.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on February 8, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 5-Down.

Can “Take a load off” 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 February 8, 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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