Wear out around the edges

Latest answer — February 07, 2026

4 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, February 07, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Breakfast bar item
  2. 12Summer picnic side dish
  3. 14Homo sapiens, e.g.
  4. 16Curio shop treasure
  5. 17Singer with the 2016 Grammy-winning soul ballad "Cranes in the Sky"
  6. 18Losing propositions?
  7. 19Keep-on-keeping-on quality
  8. 21Cause for getting stuck
  9. 22Not, colloquially
  10. 23Misdirect
  11. 24Airbnb inclusion, usually
  12. 25Some control buttons
  13. 26Like hand-to-hand fighting
  14. 28On the starting line
  15. 29Over/under and point spread
  16. 31Small squeeze from a tube
  17. 34Dome-shaped Buddhist shrine
  18. 35Fancy-schmancy
  19. 36Pronoun in Texas
  20. 37Instrument depicted in paintings by Hals and Caravaggio
  21. 38"OMG"-evoking deed
  22. 39Use for a yew
  23. 40As good as it gets
  24. 42Isle of Sappho
  25. 43They make low digits smaller
  26. 46What a pitcher tries to do
  27. 47Former e-book devices, until 2014

Down

  1. 1Can't keep on topic
  2. 2Sharpshooter's asset
  3. 3Preps for surgery, perhaps
  4. 4Wear out around the edges
  5. 5First name in Universal horror
  6. 6Seldom-used PC key
  7. 7Long shot practice
  8. 8"Save me ___!"
  9. 9Pauline ___, former New Yorker film critic
  10. 10Classic Chevy model
  11. 11Not fair, in a way
  12. 12Strip down the Interstate
  13. 13Student's goal
  14. 14"That can't possibly be right!"
  15. 15Enjoying recognition
  16. 19One of many in a bee, typically
  17. 20Reptile with a colorful name
  18. 23Having lost all its fizz
  19. 24Isn't keeping up
  20. 26Michael who plays Allan in "Barbie"
  21. 27"Divergent" author Veronica
  22. 28Ensnare for, as some undertakings
  23. 29A heavy drinker may be found in one
  24. 30Woolen leggings, as worn by W.W. I soldiers
  25. 31Physiques that have gone a little soft
  26. 32Former veep with a Nobel Prize
  27. 33"___ This Mess"
  28. 34Opening for a mail carrier
  29. 36Private reply
  30. 38One of Oberon's subjects
  31. 39Author of "Steppenwolf"
  32. 41Street ending at Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle
  33. 42Wrote fiction?
  34. 44Many a professional office: Abbr.
  35. 45The Hornets, on scoreboards

The answer to “Wear out around the edges” in the New York Times crossword is FRAY — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 7, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 4-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.

“Wear out around the edges” answer

FRAY (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 FRAY.

Why the answer is FRAY

FRAY is the 4-letter solution that fits "Wear out around the edges" in the NYT Crossword crossword on February 7, 2026 (4-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does FRAY mean?

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

(verb)

  • (of a fabric, rope, or cord) unravel or become worn at the edge, typically through constant rubbing
  • (of a male deer) rub (a bush or small tree) with the head in order to remove the velvet from newly formed antlers, or to mark territory during the rut

When else has “Wear out around the edges” 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 7, 2026 (most recent) → FRAY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Wear out around the edges”?

The answer is FRAY, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 7, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Wear out around the edges”?

4 letters: FRAY.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on February 7, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 4-Down.

Can “Wear out around the edges” 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 7, 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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