A total hoot

Latest answer — September 24, 2026

3 Down

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Clue explained

A RIOT can mean a person or thing that is extremely funny, so “a total hoot” is a riot. Here the answer is a singular noun used in an idiomatic expression.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A group of people laughing at a comedy performance

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Thursday, September 24, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Dish of thinly sliced raw meat
  2. 10Express contempt
  3. 15Pungent bakery offering that might be certified kosher
  4. 16"Bathers by a River" painter Matisse
  5. 17Place to rack 'em up
  6. 18"Come on in!"
  7. 19Part of a.m.
  8. 20Runs out of power
  9. 21Barbecue remnants
  10. 22"Superman" villain Luthor
  11. 23Porridge that might be watery
  12. 24Wine fruit
  13. 28___ Tour (sports org.)
  14. 30Get groceries, perhaps
  15. 32Swirled dessert
  16. 33Not fixed
  17. 35Rowing need
  18. 36"Treat me with respect!"
  19. 39Wow
  20. 40Pre-finals round
  21. 41Stroll casually
  22. 42Comedic bits
  23. 44Went for a jog
  24. 45Part of an underground network in "The Bone Season" series
  25. 46Genre for Seu Jorge
  26. 48ChapStick target
  27. 50Spring month
  28. 51Road division
  29. 52Part of a molecule
  30. 56Move like a crab
  31. 57"Bummer"
  32. 59Leg joints
  33. 60Chicagoland, for one
  34. 61Ships off
  35. 62Ensemble with trumpets and trombones

Down

  1. 1___ America (soccer tournament)
  2. 2Unnamed author, online
  3. 3A total hoot
  4. 4Skier's stabilizer
  5. 5Insect that might invade a kitchen
  6. 6"And the cat's in the ___ and the silver spoon"
  7. 7"How I Met Your Mother" star Smulders
  8. 8"Just trust me for now"
  9. 9World Cup cheers
  10. 10Remove wool from
  11. 11Population-counting survey
  12. 12Complimentary, like a round of drinks
  13. 13Mooch
  14. 14Many Christmas trees
  15. 23Trot or canter, for example
  16. 24"Stand up for yourself!"
  17. 25Floral White House area
  18. 26"Yes," at sea
  19. 27Poker winnings
  20. 29"No ___, no glory"
  21. 31Salmon, to bears
  22. 32Switzerland has a square one
  23. 33Hurricane response org.
  24. 34Turn on a ___ (change direction quickly)
  25. 37Antagonist of the Trojans, in "The Iliad"
  26. 38Lug
  27. 43Reacted to a compliment, perhaps
  28. 45"Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" singer Britney
  29. 47Sanctify
  30. 49App with photo dumps, for short
  31. 50Seeks answers
  32. 51An arm or a leg
  33. 52"Moby-Dick" captain
  34. 53Skater Lipinski
  35. 54Warning sign
  36. 55Honey-based brew
  37. 58Sailor's emergency signal

The answer to “A total hoot” in the USA Today crossword is RIOT — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 24, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 3-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.

“A total hoot” answer

RIOT (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 RIOT.

What does RIOT mean?

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

(noun)

  • a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd
  • an impressively large or varied display of something
  • a highly amusing or entertaining person or thing

When else has “A total hoot” appeared?

USA Today 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 24, 2026 (most recent) → RIOT. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “A total hoot”?

The answer is RIOT, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 24, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “A total hoot”?

4 letters: RIOT.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on September 24, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 3-Down.

Can “A total hoot” have a different answer?

Yes — USA Today 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 USA Today answers?

The full grid for September 24, 2026 is on the USA Today answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

USA Today Crossword is published by USA Today; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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