"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?

Latest answer — September 23, 2026

55 Across

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Clue explained

THAT'S FAIR GAME means “you're free to criticize it.” It also comments on 20-, 34-, and 41-Across, whose answers—SPORTSMANSHIP, OPEN SEASON, and BALLOON POP—are all fair game for a playful critique or comment.

Clue type:
Cross-reference
A target or game setup illustrating something being fair game.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, September 23, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Meh
  2. 5Labors like the Seven Dwarfs
  3. 10Looped in via email
  4. 14Covid-19, colloquially
  5. 15Brand acquired by Hasbro in 1998
  6. 16Mauna Loa output
  7. 17Car with a logo similar to the Olympic rings
  8. 18Start of a counting rhyme
  9. 19Slightly
  10. 20Honorable conduct on the field
  11. 23Recluses
  12. 24On-schedule
  13. 27Musician's gift
  14. 28Super Mario character with a mushroom for a head
  15. 30Fish eggs
  16. 31Kid around
  17. 34When hunting restrictions are lifted
  18. 37Epic poem originally passed down orally
  19. 39CPR expert
  20. 40Pretense
  21. 41Carnival diversion requiring precision
  22. 44One-named singer who lives in an Irish castle
  23. 45Bikini season, in Bordeaux
  24. 46"Hmm ... I pass"
  25. 47Word before data or deal
  26. 49Peak in the Alaska Range
  27. 51Slender e-cig
  28. 55"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?
  29. 58Genderqueer identity, informally
  30. 60Windowside perches
  31. 61"Back in my day ..."
  32. 62Instrument also called the "sprightly companion"
  33. 63Greek salad morsel
  34. 64Gave the green light
  35. 65Catches red-handed
  36. 66"Duly ___"
  37. 67They go for bucks

Down

  1. 1Brazen
  2. 2Jeweler's magnifying glass
  3. 3"Star Wars" series starring Diego Luna
  4. 4Music genre named for its voluminous dos
  5. 5Distinguished conductor
  6. 6Agenda topics
  7. 7Nickname for grandma
  8. 8Environmental activist Brockovich
  9. 9Naps, in Nicaragua
  10. 10___ to fame
  11. 11One preferring purrs to pooches
  12. 12Actress Mendes
  13. 13"Old man"
  14. 21Spanish aunt
  15. 22720p+ resolution, informally
  16. 25Bonkers
  17. 26Gossip, from the Yiddish
  18. 28It's kept by a metronome
  19. 29Not fooled by
  20. 31Meshed (with)
  21. 32Thrill
  22. 33Jay's reticent partner of filmdom
  23. 35Ivy League school with a dolphin on its coat of arms, informally
  24. 36"Is everything cool between us?"
  25. 38Nonmedical childbirth assistant
  26. 42"Them's fightin' words!"
  27. 43Talked up
  28. 48Arbor Day mo.
  29. 50"Now I remember"
  30. 51Part of a heart or faucet
  31. 52Japanese bread crumbs
  32. 53Host with a mic
  33. 54More than wants
  34. 56Rural structure seen in a Grant Wood lithograph
  35. 57Dart (about)
  36. 58Seemingly for-EH-ver
  37. 59Thunder setting, in brief

The answer to “"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?” in the New York Times crossword is THATSFAIRGAME — a 13-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 23, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 55-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.

“"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?” answer

THATSFAIRGAME (13 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 THATSFAIRGAME.

When else has “"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?” 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 23, 2026 (most recent) → THATSFAIRGAME. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?”?

The answer is THATSFAIRGAME, a 13-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 23, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?”?

13 letters: THATSFAIRGAME.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 23, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 55-Across.

Can “"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?” 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 23, 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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